First article for the newsletter. Haha, someone published me! I don't care if it is just an in-house newsletter . . .

Foodsafe Quiz
From [Lu] Hill

At a recent safety meeting, Jennifer Smith of Word Wise Services gave a half hour presentation on Foodsafe.
Even experienced cooks may be surprised by some items on the not-to-do list of common bad practices. How safe is your kitchen? Try our kitchen knowledge quiz below, and see if you should update your kitchen habits! For more tips on food safety, go to http://www.foodsafe.ca/.

Kitchen Knowledge Quiz

1. You see a spot of mould on your cheese – what do you do?
a) Cut off all visible mould on hard cheese (cheddar etc) or soft cheese (like Camembert etc.)
b) Throw it out, throw it ALL out.
c) Cut one inch off the cheese where the mould grew on hard cheeses, and throw out all soft cheeses.
d) Hey, cheese is mould. No worries. Especially if you cook it – the mould would die.

2. What is the most bacteria laden place in Canadian homes?
a) The toilet seat
b) The microwave ceiling
c) The dishrag in the sink

3. How can you sanitize a sponge?
a) Soak it in say a teaspoon of bleach and three cups of water.
b) Zap it in the microwave.
c) Put it in a couple cups of hot, soapy water and a teaspoon of bleach.

4. How many cases of food poisoning occur in Canada each year?
a) A couple dozen
b) A couple hundred
c) A couple thousand
d) A couple million

5. How should you defrost your chicken?
a) Leave it out on the counter overnight, just like Mom and Grandma did.
b) Put it in your fridge for a day or two.
c) If you are in a rush, put it in warm running water.
d) Microwave it.

Answers:

1 - ‘c’. The mould you see is only the tip of the iceberg – mould spores have spread inside the cheese. Also, just cooking food properly will not prevent all food borne illnesses. Some bacteria leave a toxin that will cause illness or even death.

2 - ‘c’. Damp dishrags are breeding grounds for bacteria. Either use them once, or sanitize them as you would a sponge, below.

3 - ‘a’ or 'b' if done propperly. A soak in three cups of water and a teaspoon of bleach is a great way to sanitize sponges, veggie brushes, dishrags and other kitchen items. Also use the same strength solution in a squirt bottle to spray on countertops before you wipe them, and in a jar to store damp dishrags for re-use. Soap added to the mix will actually react with the bleach and make it LESS effective. A microwave could also disinfect these items – assuming you are boiling them for two minutes.

4 - ‘d’. An estimated two million cases of food poisoning occur in Canada each year. Only about one in 350 of these cases is reported.

5 - ‘b, c or d’ depending on the size and time limit. Defrosting a large chicken or other large meat or dairy dish should be done in your fridge. Be careful that it does not drip on any other food while it is in there. Yes, it takes more time – but by leaving it on the counter the outside defrosts first, and bacteria can be multiplying rapidly in the 4C-60C (40F-140F) danger zone while the centre is still frozen hard.
So, how come mom and grandma are still around? Though you will probably be okay if you cook the chicken thoroughly, you don’t want to wait for the day you don’t. Also, Mom and Grandma may have suffered through the 24 hour flu a few times more than they had to. By the way, there is no such thing as 24 hour flu; it was probably food poisoning every time.
If you need to defrost something quickly, immerse it in warm (not hot) running water. Smaller amounts of food can be defrosted in the microwave on the ‘defrost’ setting.