Restaurant Tips for Home Kitchen Cleanliness

I sat down with Teresa Davis restaurant manager of the Marriott in Charleston, WV, and she gave me some guidelines and tips that they use in the restaurant kitchen, and I thought wow I need to use these at home!

You would not think that the way you have the food arranged in the refrigerator would make a difference but it does. Proper storage in the Fridge can prevent illness.

We will start with the meat, this should be placed in the bottom shelf or drawer. Meat should never be placed anywhere over something else, or in a drawer with other items other that meat. The meat could drip or contaminate other items.

Poultry- is the worst meat when it comes to contamination so placing this meat on the bottom shelf, will reduce risk. Eggs need a low shelf as well.

Vegetables- keep towards the top this keeps veggies safe from dripping fluids that could contaminate them.

Keep a thermometer in your refrigerator, the temperature needs to stay 40 degrees or below. The danger zones are 40 degrees to 140 degrees anything in between, bacteria can start to set in.

Also after 4 hours of meat being exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees, bacteria will start to set in as well.

When cleaning your refrigerator use the proper cleaners and make sure to clean everywhere even the edges and around the outside, bacteria and mold can harbor anywhere contaminating your refrigerator then your food.

Also lot of illness come from vegetables and even fruit. There are household washes and cleaners just for those foods, use it. Even if the package says pre-washed who wants to take a chance. Remember the big chive and spinach scare? If the wash had been used on those items then there would not have been an outbreak.

Make sure to sanitize cutting boards and counter space after use with different raw foods, and Knives are a big carrier of contamination, forgetting to wash a knife in between uses can cause illness.

Proper cooking of meat will assist in destroying harmful bacteria, always use a thermometer. The rule of temperature is this:

Whole Poultry 180 degrees, Poultry breasts, and well done meat 170 degrees, Meat, eggs, and pork 160 degrees, Med-Rare steaks, veil, and lamb 145 degrees.

Some of the most common food related illnesses are:

Campylobacter jejuni-This is known to be the most reported and common cause of food borne illness in the United States. This comes mainly from poultry, but other food related causes are unpasteurized milk,cheese, undercooked meats,pork, mushrooms, hamburger, shellfish, and eggs. Symptoms include: Diarrhea is the most common one, and it may contain blood. You can also have vomiting, stomach pain, and muscle pain.Most cases are mild and do not require a trip to the hospital

E. coli 0157:H7- This illness is widely known for being caused by beef, but other carriers include unpasteurized apple and orange juice, unpasteurized mild, alfalfa sprouts, and water. It can also be transmitted person to person.Symptoms may include the sudden abdominal pain with cramps, then 24 hours of diarrhea Vomiting can also occur with this illness, but fever is not usually present. Most cases resolve themselves after about a week.

Listeria- is and illness that is often found in cattle, sheep, and fowl, and is also found in dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. This illness can be prevented by proper sanitary measures, as well as proper cooking of your meats. Symptoms of this illness are fever, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle aches. Sometimes it will spread to the nervous system and cause symptoms like loss of balance, confusion, headache, stiff neck, and convulsions can occur. jejuni- This is known to be the most reported and common cause of food borne illness in the United States. This comes mainly from poultry, but other food related causes are unpasteurized milk,cheese, undercooked meats,pork, mushrooms, hamburger, shellfish, and eggs. Symptoms include: Diarrhea is the most common one, and it may contain blood. You can also have vomiting, stomach pain, and muscle pain.Most cases are mild and do not require a trip to the hospital.

Norovirus- is one of the most common of the virus. Many people mistake this for the stomach flu. The good news is thrill cooked meat, and washed veggies will completely rid the food of the virus. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Shell fish are the biggest risk for this illness, the only way to protect yourself is complete cooking of the fish.

Salmonella- This illness comes from food that comes from an infected animal, but also comes from feces, raw or not properly cooked eggs, contaminated water, meat/meat products , raw fruits and vegetables that have been contaminated by an unsanitized cooking utensil. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, cramping, nausea, and fever. You may also experience headache and joint pain.

By following these tips you could save yourself and your household from possible contamination,and feel good about your sanitized kitchen. Remember most food poisoning comes from a persons own kitchen.