Are you fond of home-cooked meals for your daily office lunch or your snack-pack sandwich while you’re on the go?
People nowadays are accustomed to home-cooked meals because of varying reasons like cost, convenience and cleanliness. Meticulously handpicked meat or vegetables are carefully prepared to meet their definition of "clean & healthy meal".
But is it really enough to personally handpick food that you prepare? Is it safe to assume that anything that comes right out of your kitchen is safe, clean and healthy?
There are 5 simple rules to follow for every meal-prep:
Rule Number 1: Clean and Sanitize
Avoid food-borne diseases by constant hand-washing, not only before and after each meal-prep but periodically during the process. Remember raw and cooked meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits and cheese are prone to salmonella. Clean your kitchen tools thoroughly and sanitize your kitchen counters.
Rule Number 2: Organize
Keep your ingredients in mind. Knowing your recipe by heart means knowing the order of which comes first and which comes last. This eliminates chances of over exposing raw meat, sliced fruits and vegetables in open air and on your kitchen table.
Rule Number 3: The Right Temperature
Little do people know, food poisoning can be prevented by cooking food in the right internal temperature.
- 145 degrees - meat, pork, lamb
- 160 degrees - ground pork and ground beef
- 165 degrees - all poultry
- 165 degrees - all leftovers and casseroles
Rule Number 4: Proper Storage
Don’t allow food to sit in room temperature for long hours. Make sure to store food in easy-to-clean storage containers and label "best before dates" appropriately.
Rule Number 5: Re-Heat and Re-Eat
Re-heating isn't merely for re-preparing food. It is there to ensure that food reaches the desired 165 degrees internal temperature making it safe for consumption.
Take these five simple rules and take them into habit. These will definitely help you ascertain you and your family are enjoying a clean, healthy meal and your efforts not in vain.