Preparing &
Cooking Food
[ Preventing Contamination
| Thawing Frozen Food | Microwave Ovens | Handling Food While Cooking ]
Preventing
Contamination
| "Do"s |
"Don't"s |
| Keep
all food contact surfaces clean at all times Keep food covered to protect against pests
and dirt
Separate raw and cooked food at
all stages of preparation
Keep thawing food away from all
food as thawing liquid may contaminate other food
Use separate chopping boards for
handling cooked and uncooked food. If only one board is
available, clean it often
Wash knives, tongs and other
utensils and appliances before and after handling food
Discard chipped, cracked or
open-seamed pans and containers
|
Don't
use defective or unwashed appliances or utensils for
handling food Don't use
wooden cutting boards
Don't use the same knife to cut
different foods without first thoroughly washing it
|
Thawing
Frozen Food
- Frozen food such as vegetables, fish
fingers, hamburgers, steaks, and chops can be cooked,
fried or grilled directly from a frozen state. They are
generally small, and can be thoroughly cooked in a short
time.
- Large cuts of meat, meat on bones,
and poultry must be thawed completely prior to cooking.
This is to ensure that all parts of the food are
adequately cooked.
- Frozen foods are best thawed in the
refrigerator, if time allows. To thaw frozen food more
quickly, without the use of a microwave oven, unwrap and
put it under cold, running water or leave it wrapped and
soak it in cold water.
- Thawed food should not be refrozen,
especially when thawing is done without proper
temperature control. Bacteria will grow during the
thawing and refreezing of food.
- Thawed food that has not been cooked
must not be stored in the refrigerator for later
consumption; throw it away.
- You can refreeze food after cooking.
- Food that has been thawed and
refrozen several times will lose its nutritional value,
texture and color, and is highly susceptible to bacteria.
Microwave
Ovens
The microwave oven has by now become a
quite commonly used home appliance. It is a device which cooks
food by radiation and uses microwaves (a form of light energy) to
generate the heat energy required. Heat is generated from within
the food and therefore there is no browning and crusting on the
surface of the food.
Note:
- Metal containers and aluminum foils
are not suitable for use in microwave cooking
- Porcelain, glass, paper, and
stoneware without gold edging and patterns may be used
Why are Microwave Ovens Helpful?
- Cooking time is short
- Little labor is required
- Microwave cooking destroys germs to
a level safe as that achieved by conventional cooking
There are no adverse side effects from
eating microwaved food. However, food cooked in a microwave oven
may look less appetizing. When microwaving food, you also run the
risk of losing the nutrients in the food by overcooking. However,
when food is properly prepared, the short cooking time and little
use of added water or oil usually retains nutrients better than
boiling or frying.
Safety Precautions for Microwave
Cooking
- Don't place metal containers or
substances inside the oven.
- Clean the interior and the door of
the oven with a slightly wet cloth or mild detergent that
will not scratch the surface.
- Don't use an oven with damaged
interlocks, hinges, latches, sealing surfaces or door.
- Keep door seal free from food
residues.
- Close door properly before cooking.
- Don't stand near the oven while it
is in operation.
- Cover the food loosely while
cooking. This is to prevent splattering and excessive
loss of moisture.
Handling
Food While Cooking
Egg Products
- Wash eggs before cooking in order to
prevent contamination of the edible part when the eggs
are opened.
Fact: The egg yolk of a hard-cooked egg
sometimes turns blackish when sulfur from the egg white and iron
from the yolk combine to form iron sulfide. However, this
compound is harmless and the egg is still safe for consumption.
The black color can be reduced by placing the hard-cooked egg in
cold water immediately after cooking.
Meat & Poultry
- Do not handle raw intestines and
liver together with raw and cooked meat or poultry.
- Cut larger joints of meat into
smaller pieces so that it can be thoroughly cooked.
- Make sure that meat and poultry are
cooked thoroughly.
- Don't just "warm up"
left-over meat dishes. Cook a left-over meat dish
thoroughly by bringing it quickly to the boiling point
and consume it while it is hot.
Rice
- Cool rice or rice dishes quickly if
not consumed immediately, and store in a refrigerator.
- Cold rice, when heated, must be
heated up quickly and thoroughly, and served as soon as
possible.
Vegetables
- If raw vegetables are to be eaten,
consider washing them in water containing a solution of
sodium hypochlorite at a concentration of 60 to 80 parts
per million for at least 30 seconds to kill germs.
- Wash the vegetables thoroughly,
rinsing under a tap for at least 1 minute.
- Washing can be done in a basin of
water, but you should change the water between
vegetables.
- Use lukewarm water to clean
vegetables, as it has a better cleansing effect than cold
water.
- In the case of celery and potatoes,
use a vegetable brush to clean the surface of these
vegetables.
- Vegetables may be cooked by baking,
boiling, steaming and stir-frying.
