Food Fun, Funds, and Fundamentals (Series #3)

Welcome to the third installment of “Food Fun, Funds, and Fundamentals,” an ongoing exploration of food preparation, handling, and appreciation. To learn more about the philosophy behind these vignettes, please click here for Series #1, which shines attention on egg and rice selection, while Series #2 centers around maximizing the use of your herbs and spices. This week focuses on an important yet often overlooked aspect of home cooking: food poisoning prevention.

Botulism anyone?

          Before opening any canned foods, give the can a quick inspection. Does it have any holes or appear compromised in any way? Chuck it! One particularly ominous sign is when the can appears bulgy, as if it were pressurized by a gas (which technically it is). What this means is that Clostridium botulinum have contaminated the food. These bacteria produce a toxin that causes an often lethal disease called botulism. For bulging cans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you place the can in a Ziploc bag, seal it with tape, then repeat the process with a second bag; put it in the trash and not the recycling bin.1

Welcome to the danger zone...

Two of the biggest factors involved in preventable food-borne illnesses are time and temperature; most harmful pathogens grow best between a temperature range of 4 and 60 °C, known in the food-service industry as “the danger zone” (not to be confused with the legendary hit song by Kenny Loggins). So, an important guideline is to keep hot foods above 60 °C, and cold or stored foods below 4°C. Food items should be discarded once they’ve spent a total of 4 hours cumulatively in the danger zone.2

Wash your melons.. Not those melons..

          While most people know that washing your hands and produce thoroughly is a good idea, it’s easy to forget about the thick-skinned specimens, such as cantaloupe. If you were to cut an unwashed cantaloupe, the knife might contaminate the edible portion with unwanted bacteria, so try to scrub your fruits and vegetables with a food-grade brush and soap beforehand.

Bleach is great, but mustard gas isn't 

Hoseholds that I’ve encountered clean their dishes and utensils the following way (those that clean them manually, that is): wash dishes with dish-detergent, rinse the dishes, then towel-dry the dishes. This popular method is not ideal; while washing and rinsing the dish is important, there is a difference between a dish that is clean and a dish that is sterile (i.e., nothing is living on it). To sterilize a cleaned dish, bleach—when used properly—is a safe and effective disinfectant. Using a separate sink or bin (I like bus bins), mix 4 teaspoons (20 mL) of bleach per liter of lukewarm water, then let the dishes and utensils soak in the bin for at least 2 minutes. It’s important not to use hot water or other detergents along with the bleach because not only is it ineffective, this might cause the release of dangerous fumes (e.g. bleach and ammonia combined will react to create mustard gas; yes, the same horrific gas used in World War I). Also, bleach can be corrosive and leave a bad smell when used in high concentrations, so use it sparingly.

Let them hang out to dry!

          Growing-up, my mother assumed I was being lazy whenever I allowed my newly washed dishes to air-dry overnight rather than use a towel. But something always seemed “off” about this process. It turns out I’m vindicated! Other than temperature and time, bacteria also require moisture to multiply, and dish towels have a tendency of getting damp midway through the task. Those still damp dishes then end up in a cupboard and act as a home for microbes. Not to mention that dish towel was likely used for other things, such as drying your hands or wiping countertops, which act as sources for contamination. Feel free to let your sterile and clean dishes dry during the day or overnight on the rack, and don’t feel guilty!

When you eat, be just, cheerful, equable, temperate and orderly; thus, you will eat acceptably to the gods.     

          -Epictetus

- Tyler Feeney-

M.Sci (c) in Dietetics