A clean kitchen brings multiple benefits.
First, it fosters healthy food preparation while it discourages the presence of pests and unwanted creatures. An orderly kitchen also helps prevent accidents at home caused by a variety of things such as slipping on an oily floor or cut from a falling knife. So how do we keep our kitchen clean? Sounds like a simple task but there are also other things we need to bear in mind as we start putting things in order.
Table of Contents
Combine cooking and cleaning
Keep a schedule to clean all areas in the kitchen including inside the refrigerator, freezer, and other machines. Sweep the kitchen floor at least once a day. Mop the floor immediately after any spill to prevent accidents and the proliferation of dirt and bacteria.
While you are waiting for water to boil or stew at desired cooking time, you can spend time washing the pans and utensils or wiping the cupboard clean. This maintains the proper order of the kitchen sink and reduces the presence of soiled cooking materials and accessories.
What belongs to the kitchen, stays in the kitchen
Items in the kitchen should be for the sole use in the kitchen.
Kitchen scissors used to open meat from packaging or cut slices of cooking ingredients should not be used to cut paper or other things not involved in the cooking process. Seasonal furniture or even utensils — extra plates and utensils used during fiestas — are best stored in a storage locker when the festivities are over.
Dishwashing gloves or those used for handling utensils or washing dishes should not be used for other purposes to minimize their exposure to bacteria.
Check containers for damage
Check frying pans, measuring cups, ceramic bowls, and other kitchen accessories and ensure they have no breaks, cracks, or corrosion. Using damaged accessories can impact your cooking experience or impact the taste of food.
If they do, discard them for repair or replace them immediately.
Keeping off rodents and insects
Ensure that dry bulk food such as corn starch, sugar, or flour is stored in tightly covered metal or glass containers. This will keep cockroaches, rats, or ants at bay. Also, maintain cleanliness by throwing away discarded paper or plastic containers so they don’t become dwelling places for insects.
Making use of lids is also an innovative way of maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen. Lids of various containers can be used over which you can place jars and containers which contain sticky liquids. The reason behind it is that it helps to clean only the lids rather than cleaning the whole shelf. This eventually saves time and energy.
Dispose of garbage every day
My suggestion is to dispose of the garbage right after cleaning the kitchen every night. This ensures that rubbish bins are free from infestation of rodents and insects overnight, the best time for them to forage while everyone is asleep.
Maintain ventilation
Using ventilation maintains good air circulation in the kitchen as well as keeps the flies out. Use fly attractors, glue boards, and rodent traps where there are occasional signs of pests.
Wear proper attire while cooking
Proper attire is not a costume but protective attire. One may wear a paper hat to prevent food contamination coming from, say human hair.
Head or hair coverings are important. A paper hat will work, but industrial food preparation usually requires employees to wear full hair nets that totally enclose the top, back, and sides of the head. Additionally, it is important that contamination is not brought into the kitchen from outside, and that means diligently managing the clothing worn. For those who are processing raw meats and vegetables, clean kitchen aprons should be worn and then removed before moving to other areas of the kitchen.
Avoid handling foods if you are ill or injured
The kitchen is no place for an unwell employee. The common cold and other diseases are easily transmitted through casual contact with foods, and bandages or wound covering provide bacteria with favorable growth conditions. Employees that are sick or injured should be relegated to duties that do not expose them to possible contamination hazards. People with cuts and open sores are prohibited from food handling by federal safety regulations.
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