Contents
Good food hygiene essential in summer
At the time of shopping
Buy fresh products like meat or yogurt… at the end of your shopping trip, just before frozen food.
If you buy raw milk, sour cream or cheeses made from raw milk, in the market, make sure that they are stored at a temperature below 4 ° C.
For frozen foods, avoid packages in torn or curled packaging that are lumpy. Shake the packages: the vegetables clash! Place them in an insulated bag. Hold them tight against each other. You thus increase the volume of the cold.
For fruits and vegetables, to appreciate the precious vitamin C, buy them as fresh as possible and quickly run them under cold water.
Store it in a cool place without delay
For optimal safety with frozen foods, respect the cold chain. Store them first. If a product thaws, consume it as a fresh product within 48 hours.
If the meat, as well as the cheese or any catering product, is not in a tray, do not store them together, to avoid cross-contamination.
If you freeze food
Lower your freezer a few hours before to -30 ° C so that the food freezes quickly. Don’t forget to put it back to – 18 ° C the next day!
Respect the basic rules of hygiene: your work surface must be clean and your hands well washed. The cold prevents the proliferation of bacteria, but does not kill those already present in the food!
Raw preparations: tartars
It is essential that the food is of the very first freshness. Warning: do not give raw food to young children. When it comes to tartars, forget about the pre-packaged steak that may contain bacteria that die off when cooked, but can make you sick if eaten raw. Go to the butcher and demand that he chop it in front of you. To consume absolutely in the hours which follow.
Marinated fish or sushi
The reason all Japanese restaurants freeze fish before slicing it is because raw fish, no matter how fresh, can transmit a worm that causes stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. The only advice: freeze the fish at – 20 ° C for at least 3 days. It then becomes harmless. Germs are not very common in fresh fish, but salmonella (responsible for diarrhea) can be found in moderately fresh fish. Also if you do not consume the fish immediately after purchase, freeze it to limit the proliferation of bacteria.
After lunch
Dairy products and food should be refrigerated as a priority. Raw products left at room temperature (rillettes, homemade mayonnaise, carpaccio, etc.) must be discarded. Bacteria thrive in heat and can cause diarrhea. Do not take the risk of contaminating all the food in the fridge …
The rule: never refreeze a thawed product. The stop of any multiplication of bacteria is carried out at -10 ° C, but as soon as a food warms up, it resumes its microbial evolution.