You Are Dirtier Than You Think!

By now you have probably seen the warnings about how your spice bottles are the most disgusting thing in your kitchen. In all fairness, it definitely can be a source of contamination. But have you thought about other places you routinely touch when cooking? The refrigerator handle, the pot scrubbers, the dishwasher handle, the cupboard handle, not to mention the water faucet handle, the switch to the garbage disposal, the microwave, the stove, the sponge, and the soap dispenser can all be places that harbor pathogens. In the food industry, these are known as touchpoints. All these items are touched frequently while preparing or cooking meals. While we know that we should wash our hands before we start and wipe down or disinfect our work surfaces, and clean our kitchens thoroughly, the food industry does have an advantage over our kitchens. First, they have done a hazard analysis, to understand what pathogens they may have in the kitchen. And secondly, everything that is in an industrial setting is designed to be sprayed down with soap, hot water, and sanitizers every day, after production is completed.

Have you ever thought of the food you are preparing as a source of foodborne pathogens? When we buy food, we usually do not think about the risks of pathogens, unless we are purchasing raw chicken or romaine lettuce. These two items are in the news frequently enough that we should know to be careful when we are handling them. But what about the tomatoes, the carrots, or the peppers? Yes, they too need to be washed before eating, slicing, or chopping.

How can we keep the touchpoints from becoming a hazard? It all goes back to washing your hands frequently. Wash them before you start preparing food. Wipe down all the areas in which you will be placing food during the preparation. If you are preparing meat or poultry, gather the spices, utensils, and pans that you will need before you start. After you open the package of meat and place it in the pans, wash your hands, being careful how you touch the soap dispenser and faucets. This is where your elbows and forearms come in handy. After you wash and dry your hands, then apply your spices to your meat. If you are going to continue cooking, now is the time to wash, with soap, any place that has had contact with juices from the meat. Once you are finished with the meat, make sure that you wash your hands and wipe down the faucets and soap dispenser with a sanitizer of some kind.

If you are adding vegetables to the dish or doing salad preparation, use clean utensils and cutting boards to keep cross-contamination at bay. Wash your vegetables thoroughly. It is not necessary to use the vegetable wash sprays that you see at the grocery store. Running water and a vegetable brush will do the trick. Make sure that any vegetables that have come into contact with soil have been scrubbed well (potatoes, carrots, beets, etc.). Make sure that you wash your hands when you are finished chopping, peeling, or grating your veggies.

Once your dinner is cooking, and you are cleaning up a bit, make sure that when you wipe down the touchpoints, you get extra credit if you use a sanitizer such as bleach water, sanitizer wipes, or even alcohol. Doing so helps any residual germs that are transferred to the touchpoints during your time in the kitchen.

If you wash your hands often, be mindful of what you touch, and understand how cross-contamination occurs, you are well on the road to making sure that pathogen control is well underway in your kitchen.

As always, wash your hands, keep eating your veggies, and stay safe until next time.

Sources

Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety? https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/washing-food-does-it-promote-food. Retrieved 26 February 2023.

Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/cleanliness-helps-prevent. Retrieved 26 February 2023.