Kitchen Practices
[ You can be Source of Bacteria!
| Keep your
Kitchen Clean & Well-Ventilated | Storage of Cleansers,
Kitchenware, & Utensils | Washing up of Crockery,
Utensils, & Tableware | Pest Control ]
You can be a
Source of Bacteria!
Poor personal hygiene and improper food
handling will result in outbreaks of various food-borne diseases.
Good food hygiene starts with the food handler.
- Wash your hands and rinse them
before preparing food, after handling raw food, in
between handling different food items, and after using
the toilet.
- Don't sneeze or cough over food
because it may introduce germs from your body into the
food.
- Don't touch your nose, hair or other
parts of body when handling food.
- Don't blow into food to cool it.
- Don't smoke when handling food.
Don't smoke at all if you're worried about your health!
- Keep short and clean fingernails;
don't wear nail polish while cooking or serving, as it
may chip.
- Don't handle food if you have cuts,
sores, or boils on your hand. Cover open cuts, grazes,
boils, and septic lesions with a clean waterproof
bandage.
- Avoid handling cooked food with your
bare hands.
- If you are suffering from diarrhea,
fever or any other symptoms of a food-borne disease, do
not handle food as you may be a source of contamination.
Keep your
Kitchen Clean & Well-Ventilated
- Clean kitchen walls and floor daily,
particularly in out of sight areas to remove food debris
or grease from cooking.
- Clean ceilings at least once a year.
- Use equipment and working surfaces
made of materials that are easily cleaned and
non-reactive to food; e.g. stainless steel or plastics.
- Do not use equipment made of metal
because it can corrode.
- Do not allow food to come into
contact with untreated wooden surfaces.
- Use synthetic, polypropylene,
non-absorbent cutting boards.
- If hard wooden chopping block is
used, scrub it with water with detergent and disinfectant
after every use.
- Clean your oven and don't allow it
to be coated with a layer of carbon, because it reduces
heating ability.
Storage of
Cleansers, Kitchenware, & Utensils
- Cover receptacles, utensils,
crockery, and cutlery to protect them from dust.
- Store pots and pans above the floor.
Wash them before use if stored for a few days.
- Use a knife rack that is detachable
for cleaning.
- Do not store knives in the space
between the table and wall.
- Store all utensils and equipment
away from raw food.
Washing up
of Crockery, Utensils, & Tableware
- Do not leave unclean articles in the
sink for a long time. This will cause bacteria to grow
and contaminate other food.
- Scrape or wipe off food particles
from the utensils.
- Wash equipment and working surfaces
with hot water and detergent.
- Don't use water with temperatures
higher than 150º Fahrenheit (65º Celsius).
- Change washing and rinsing water as
soon as it becomes dirty.
- Dry cleaned utensils before storing.
- Wash drying cloths frequently by
boiling.
- It's more hygienic to use disposable
paper towels instead of cloth for drying utensils.
Pest Control
- Kill flies by spraying the refuse
area to prevent breeding.
- Use electrical fly killers as they
don't provide any hazard associated with aerosol sprays.
- Prevent pest's access to kitchen by
having fly-proof windows, doors and ventilators.
- Cover food.
- Seal off crevices or holes which
provide entrance for pests.
