Kitchen hygiene and food safety
Proper cleaning in the kitchen requires hot soapy water and a good scrub.
How to wash your dishcloths
Damp cloths, sponges and tea towels are perfect places for bacteria to grow. If they are not kept clean, they will spread the bacteria wherever you use them.
- Wash dishcloths every 2 days.
- You can use a hot wash in the washing machine, or boil them in water for 15 minutes.
- If you’ve used a cloth to wipe up after raw meat or vegetables, then replace it immediately with a clean one.
- If your dishcloth smells, then it’s definitely time to wash it.
Start and finish with a clean worktop
- Always wash the kitchen worktop with hot soapy water before preparing food.
- Wipe up spills as you go.
- Clean surfaces with hot soapy water immediately after handling raw meat, poultry, fish, eggs or soil on raw vegetables.
- You are likely to touch the fridge and door handles, the oven, the microwave, the kitchen tap and the sink area when you are preparing food. Remember to clean these well too.
How to wash a chopping board
Cracks and grooves on chopping boards can harbour bacteria, so it is very important to clean them thoroughly with hot soapy water.
- Always wash your chopping board with hot soapy water after each use and be sure to scrub off any food or bits of dirt.
- Washing properly is very important if you have used the board to cut raw meat, poultry, seafood or raw vegetables.
- If possible have separate chopping boards for raw meat, raw vegetables and for ready-to-eat food such as salad, bread or fruit.
- Never put ready-to-eat food on a surface that raw meat has touched.
- Immediately give chopping boards or surfaces that have touched raw meat a good scrub with hot soapy water.
- A hot wash in the dishwasher is a very good way to clean plastic chopping boards – always check that they are dishwasher safe. However a good scrub in the sink with hot soapy water will do the same job.
- Be very careful to wash any utensils that have touched raw meat before using them again.
- Wash utensils in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher.
- Clean your fridge regularly, especially the fridge handle, shelves and storage compartments.
- Wash all surfaces thoroughly with warm, soapy water, then rinse clean.
- Avoid using cleaning products that may pass on taste to food, or damage your fridge’s interior finish or door seals.
- Wipe up spills immediately.
- Dry thoroughly with a clean towel or kitchen roll.
- Once a week throw out foods that have passed their ‘use-by’ date.
Usafi wa jikoni na usalama wa chakula Usafi sahihi katika jikoni unahitaji maji moto ya sabuni na scrub nzuri. Jinsi ya kuosha vitambaa vya vyombo Vitambaa vya maji, sifongo na vitambaa vya chai ni mahali pazuri pa bakteria kukua. Ikiwa hazitakuwa safi, zitaeneza bakteria popote unapozitumia. - Osha vitambaa kila baada ya siku mbili. Unaweza kuifuta kwa maji moto kwenye mashine ya kuosha au kuifuta kwa dakika 15. - Kama umetumia kitambaa kufuta baada ya nyama mbichi au mboga, kisha kubadilisha mara moja na moja safi. - Ikiwa kitambaa chako cha kuosha vyombo kina harufu mbaya, basi ni wakati wa kukifanya. Anza na kumaliza kwa kutumia meza safi - Sikuzote osha meza ya jikoni kwa maji moto yenye sabuni kabla ya kutayarisha chakula. - Futa mafuriko unapoenda. - Safisha nyuso kwa maji ya joto na sabuni mara tu baada ya kushughulikia nyama mbichi, kuku, samaki, mayai au udongo kwenye mboga mbichi. - Inawezekana kugusa friji na mlango kushughulikia, tanuri, microwave, jikoni bomba na sinki eneo wakati wewe ni kuandaa chakula. Kumbuka kusafisha hizi vizuri pia. Jinsi ya kuosha ubao wa kukata: Mifupa na nyufa kwenye ubao wa kukata inaweza kuwa na bakteria, kwa hivyo ni muhimu sana kuisafisha kwa maji moto na sabuni. Daima safisha ubao wako wa kukata kwa maji moto na sabuni baada ya kila matumizi na hakikisha kuondoa chakula chochote au uchafu. - Kuosha vizuri ni muhimu sana kama umetumia ubao kukata nyama mbichi, kuku, vyakula vya baharini au mboga mbichi. - Kama inawezekana kuwa na bodi za kukata tofauti kwa nyama mbichi, mboga mbichi na kwa chakula tayari kula kama vile saladi, mkate au matunda. - Kamwe usitie chakula tayari kula juu ya uso kwamba nyama mbichi imegusa. - Mara moja fanya uondoaji mzuri wa mbao za kukata au nyuso ambazo zimegusa nyama mbichi kwa maji moto yenye sabuni. - Kuosha moto katika mashine ya kuosha vyombo ni njia nzuri sana ya kusafisha bodi za kukata plastiki <unk> daima angalia kwamba ni mashine ya kuosha vyombo salama. Hata hivyo, kunaweza kufanya kazi ileile kwa kuosha vizuri ndani ya sinki kwa maji moto yenye sabuni. - Jihadharini sana kuosha vyombo vyote ambavyo vimegusa nyama mbichi kabla ya kuitumia tena. - Osha vyombo katika maji moto yenye sabuni au katika mashine ya kuosha vyombo. - Safisha friji yako kwa ukawaida, hasa kiganja cha friji, rafu na sehemu za kuhifadhi. - Osha nyuso zote kwa uangalifu kwa maji ya joto yenye sabuni, kisha usafishe. - Kuepuka kutumia bidhaa za kusafisha ambayo inaweza kupitisha ladha kwa chakula, au kuharibu friji yako ya ndani kumaliza au mihuri ya mlango. - Futa mafuriko mara moja. - Kiondoa vizuri kwa kitambaa safi au kitambaa cha jikoni. - Mara moja kwa juma tupa vyakula ambavyo vimepita tarehe ya "kutumika".