We do it every day:preparing food or cooking and baking. Food safety:this way you cook and bake hygienically, healthily and safely. With tips for different cooking techniques.
Hygiene should be a top priority in the kitchen to avoid contamination with bacteria. In the unlikely event of poor hygiene, it can result in food poisoning. Our way of preparing and storing ultimately also determines how much valuable nutrients are retained.
Good hygiene includes:washing hands before, during and after preparing food. The use of clean kitchen utensils and the sealed and cool storage of foodstuffs. The latter mainly applies to raw meat and fish.
Well begun is half done, and that certainly applies to food preparation. The preparation already starts with the storage of food. Raw fish and meat, for example, must be kept in a closed container at a constant temperature of max. 5˚C in the refrigerator (bottom shelf). By storing meat and fish in the right way, you can prevent overgrowth of bacteria.
To prevent vitamin C from being lost from fruits and vegetables, it is best to peel or slice them just before use. Before peeling, take a sharp knife to damage the cells as little as possible. Or even better:don't peel, but wash your fruit. Then prepare your fruit and vegetables with skin as much as possible.
No matter how you prepare food, nutrients are always lost. Think, for example, of water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C) that end up in the cooking liquid. To prevent too many vitamins from being lost, it is best to steam vegetables.
Heating is a good way to cook food and eliminate harmful bacteria in meat and fish. For example, the salmonella bacteria is killed after only 20 minutes of heating at a temperature of 60˚C. During the heating of food, certain toxic substances are also converted into usable, digestible substances for our body. Think of the actually indigestible rice and potatoes.
There are several ways to prepare food by cooking and baking. Below is a short list of the ways you can prepare food with a brief description of how to do it.
Barbecuing :here the heat source is under the food (similar to grilling). This preserves most of the vitamins. Please note:if fat burns, the released smoke is carcinogenic. Besides meat and fish, you can also barbecue fruit such as bananas or even a whole watermelon!
Roast :the easiest and most used way to cook meat (large pieces) and poultry. If you occasionally baste the meat with its own meat juices while roasting, the meat will remain juicier. If you roast meat in the oven, you can place a grid under the meat. Fat then drips into the baking dish. You can make delicious gravy from this later.
Grill :very similar to the aforementioned barbecuing. Ideal for preparing fish, tender meats, fatty meats such as hamburgers, bacon and sausage. A healthy alternative to baking, because the fat drips onto the dish under the meat.
Frying :an indispensable part of our lives:fried food or fast food. With the absolute number 1 of course fries fries. An unhealthy way of preparing food, especially because a lot of fat is absorbed by the food.
Stir-frying :popular in Chinese and Indonesian cuisine. This method uses little fat. Suitable for the preparation of meat, fish and vegetables. The wok gets very hot and ensures that the food is cooked in no time. In addition, the vegetable retains its vitamins.
Microwave :although the microwave is perfectly suitable for preparing food quickly, I strongly advise against this. More and more studies show that using the microwave is particularly bad for our health. Though opinions vary quite a bit here. The fact is that radiation is used during preparation in the microwave and that is not so healthy as is known.
Steam :Steaming is a perfect way to preserve nutrients. Expressed in percentages, this can quickly add up to a retention of 40% more nutrients. Keep in mind that it takes a little longer than, for example, cooking vegetables.
Cooking :the most common way to prepare food (at least in the West). Unfortunately, many important nutrients are lost in this cooking method due to the cooking liquid. Prevent this by cooking your vegetables in a gravy or sauce, for example. It is best to cook potatoes in their skins. Do not peel or eat with the skin on until after cooking. Be sure to scrub the peel well as it often contains pesticides, fungi and natural toxins.
Preparing food is not the only thing that contributes to safe and good food. Food must also be preserved and stored properly. Are you looking for some handy tips? Be sure to read my 15 kitchen tips, a must read for all kitchen princes and princesses.
Legal rules apply to the preparation of food in the catering industry. Of course you don't have to stick to this at home, but it is good to observe certain rules. I mentioned hand washing in the beginning. Wearing a clean apron, changing towel and kitchen towel every day are other precautions that help to prepare food safely and healthily. Washing the cutting board and knives in between with hot water and soapy water (a must after cutting meat!) also help to increase hygiene in the kitchen.
Preferably use a glass cutting board instead of a wooden one. Make sure that cutlery that has come into contact with raw meat and fish does not come into contact with vegetables or other foods. Wash your hands every time you touch raw meat or fish. Better to wash too many times than to contract a bacteria.
W what do you do to work hygienically in the kitchen and to prepare healthy and safe food?
