Last week I reported Kiwis are reluctant cooks when it comes to eggs. Now it has been revealed that a significant number of my fellow countrymen are also a bit slack when it comes to kitchen hygiene, while others blatantly shirk their dishwashing responsibilities.
According to a survey of more than 1200 New Zealanders, conducted by 3M New Zealand, 82 percent confessed they would leave a pot to soak to avoid washing it when it was their turn to do the dishes. And 47 percent admitted having thrown out a pot because it was too difficult to clean
I have no argument about leaving something to soak because the action of hot water and detergent generally softens things enough to make cleaning easier a couple of hours later - hours, not days!.
But more revelations from the survey – 27 percent of respondents said they used their kitchen cloths to clean their sports shoes, 22 percent said they washed their pet bowls with the kitchen cloth they used for their own dishes and 39 percent admitted to wiping up a spill on the kitchen floor with their kitchen sponge, then used it to clean dishes. However, 52 percent said they would not accept a second invitation to dine at a friend’s house if they saw the friend doing the same.
Sponges and pot scourers are a great breeding ground for bacteria because they provide the moist conditions the bugs need to grow. Curiously, 17 percent of the 1274 people surveyed actually believed the colour of the sponge made a different to hygiene with 9 percent believing yellow was the most hygienic colour for a sponge. However, all sponges are created equal and no matter what the colour they are, resident bacteria numbers can reach hundreds of millions if the sponges are not washed and sanitised.
But dodgy kitchen practices aren’t the exclusive domain of the home cook. So-called celebrity chefs are not innocent either.
Dr Layla Jader, of the National Public Health Service for Wales, raised the issue at the recent British Medical Association conference in Edinburgh saying TV chefs were setting a bad example by failing to follow basic hygiene standards.
Citing shows such as the BBC's Ready Steady Cook and Celebrity Master Chef, she said they often did not wash vegetables before using them or separate uncooked meat from other food, raising the risk of food poisoning.
“These are being watched by impressionable people - they should be setting a good example,” she said.
We've all see chefs mopping little spills off a plated dish with a cloth - was it a clean one? And how many of them do we see, leaning closely over a plate arranging the food with their bare hands? Or putting their sauce tasting spoon back on the bench.
If your own kitchen hygiene audit reveals some shortfalls, here are a few tips.
Nuke your sponges in the microwave or put them through a regular dishwasher cycle wth the dishes. Microbiologists at the Agricultural Research Service Food Technology and Safety Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland tested various sponge cleaning methods using very dirty sponges. They treated each sponge in one of five ways: soaked for three minutes in a 10 percent chlorine bleach solution, soaked in lemon juice or deionized water for one minute, heated in a microwave for one minute, placed in a dishwasher operating with a drying cycle—or left untreated.
The scientists chose these methods because they're commonly used in most household kitchens. They found that between 37 and 87 percent of bacteria were killed on sponges soaked in the 10 percent bleach solution, lemon juice or deionized water—and those left untreated. That still left enough bacteria to potentially cause disease.
Microwaving sponges killed 99.99999 percent of bacteria present on them, while dishwashing killed 99.9998 percent of bacteria.
As for yeasts and moulds, the sponges treated in the microwave oven or dishwasher were found to harbour less than 1 percent (0.00001 percent). Between 6.7 and 63 percent of yeasts and moulds survived on sponges soaked in bleach, lemon juice, deionized water or left untreated.
Always thoroughly wash hands before embarking on food preparation. Wash again at frequent intervals to prevent any cross contamination. This is particularly important after handling raw meat, particularly poultry. Use a clean hand towel or paper towel to dry hands.
Use separate chopping boards for preparing meat and vegetables. All fruit and vegetables should be washed prior to preparation. Raw meat and cooked meat should be kept separate. Wash knives thoroughly between chopping activities.
Cooked foods destined for later consumption, or leftovers, should be cooled as quickly as possible and then refrigerated. The mantra for safe food-handling is clean, cook, cover, chill.
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