September is National Food Safety Education Month. Follow these tips to be sure your food doesn't make you sick:
Before eating, be sure to wash your hands for 20 seconds. Not sure how long that is? Pretend it’s your birthday, and sing “Happy Birthday” once while washing your hands.- Follow these steps to stop the spread of bacteria:
- CLEAN (wash your hands and all counters and utensils)
- SEPARATE (don’t mix raw meat with vegetables)
- COOK (to the correct temperature)
- CHILL (refrigerate promptly)
- Don’t eat foods that have been sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Bacteria in food can double every 20 minutes when the food is at room temperature! Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot!
- To be safe when cooking, use a food thermometer to cook food to the right temperature. Use this temperature chart to stay safe.
Be “egg”-stra careful when handling eggs, as they can contain the bacteria Salmonella, which could make you sick. Cook eggs all the way, and as tempting as it might be, don’t lick the raw cookie dough off the spoon.- Use food promptly. Fresh raw chicken should only stay in the fridge for 1-2 days before cooking. If you can’t cook it 1-2 days after buying, put it in the freezer where it will last up to 9 months if cut into pieces or 1 year if whole. Leftover cooked chicken can stay refrigerated for 3-5 days or frozen for 2-6 months.
Visit our library display in the Youth Services section and ask a Youth Services Librarian for more help finding resources about being safe with your food!
“On the Path to Good Health” is supported by Kaiser Permanente and the Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends.
Posted by ws
