Food and cooking hygiene

The preparation of food involves potentially severe health hazards if basic hygiene routines are ignored. Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

The following are fundamental requirements:

1. Wearing clean clothes and protective apron.
2. Washing hands with warm soapy water.
3. Wearing hair in a responsible manner (e.g. kerchief, long hair in plaits or pony tail).
4. Keeping the temperature of hot food above 140F/60C and keeping the temperature of cold food below 40F/4C. Food should not sit at intermediary temperatures (defined as 40-140F/4C-60C) for more than 2 hours.
5. Using an instant-on thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked meats.
6. Do not use the same cutting surfaces or utensils for both meat and vegetables.