How to prevent a breeding ground for bacteria
The humble chopping board is one of the professional chef’s best friends. They’re also one of his worst enemies as they can be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Banish the bacteria from your kitchen by following these simple food safety rules…
- Cross contamination, the spread of germs around the kitchen, is one of the major causes of food poisoning.
- Never prepare ready-to-eat food on a chopping board that has been used for raw meat unless it has been thoroughly washed first.
- In professional kitchens, there’s a colour-coded chopping board for every job. Red for raw meat; green for salad and fruit; yellow for cooked meat, blue for raw fish and so on. You can’t be expected to have all of these at home, but why not invest in a couple of colour-coded boards to separate raw and cooked foods?
- If your board is covered in scratches, buy a new one! Bacteria love to hide inside the grooves.
- Choose plastic or acrylic chopping boards. Non-porous ones are easier to clean than wooden and less prone to scratching.
- Wash acrylic and plastic boards in the dishwasher.
- Rinse your board with hot soapy water after each use then leave it to dry naturally.
- Don’t dry your board with a tea towel. When it comes to cross-contamination, tea towels are guilty culprits. Paper towels are preferable.
