Food handling can be a big issue for home cooks as not much attention is paid
to as it were in the case of cooks in public kitchens. The lack of proper care when it comes to food preparation at home may lead to a variety of food related illnesses, some could even be life threatening. Each year, all over the world in developed and developing countries with a substantial number of people end up being hospitalized for food poisoning which could have been avoided had basic food handling rules be implemented. Food handling course is a good way to learn all about food handling processes that should be practiced by home cooks.
The major cause of food poisoning in the kitchen is cross contamination. Generally, this can be avoided by storing raw food separately from cooked food. Though, this might sound simple but it is an issue that trips even the most experience cook times without number.
An example of a real life scenario of food contamination might be that you are trying to grill some steaks for dinner and you lay the steak on a chopping board to slice it. Afterwards, you rinse off the chopping board without properly washing it with warm soapy water and some pathogens from the meat are still left on the chopping while you use it to cut the vegetables that will go with the steak. The pathogens will definitely be transferred to the vegetable thereby contaminating the vegetables.
Another example would be when you do not keep or store food at the right temperature. This is an issue which really stressed in food handling course. When preparing a simple meal such as a salad and you lay the vegetable on the table at room temperature with moisture still on it, it will still be filled with organic matter. This means the salad will be filled with bacteria and anyone who eats it will be faced with discomfort and go on a lot of trips to the bathroom.
Another case where food contamination occurs in the kitchen is on the top of the stove. When cooking different meals with different pots on the stove, you are likely to use the same utensil that has been used for a meal such as steak for another pot of turnip greens if you do not pay adequate attention. These two meals cook well at different temperatures and only at the particular temperature will the bacteria in them be killed. Transferring bacteria from one to another is a way of causing cross contamination in food preparation. Spoons, knives, chopping boards and other kitchen utensils can easily transfer bacteria from one food to another.
Food poisoning and cross contamination is so easy to avoid following topics if only we all follow procedures covered in food handling courses. It does not take much effort, finance or time to complete the course. The online programs are also great because they can easily fit into your schedule. It will only be unwise not to give it a thought.