Food Preparation

Frozen food

Ensure frozen food is completely thawed before it is cooked. While some foods can be cooked straight from frozen, ensure you follow the cooking instructions as extra cooking time has been included as required, and probe the food when finished, to confirm it has reached the right temperature to kill off bacteria (80°C)

Raw food

When preparing food, raw foods must be kept separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination between the different high and low-risk food types. Other ways to prevent cross-contamination between food risk types include:

• cleaning and sanitising your hands, cutting boards, knives, slicing machines and any other utensils in between preparing different foods;
• using separate boards and utensils for different foods;
• preparing low-risk food types before high-risk food types to ensure no transfer of juices from one food to another; and
• only tasting food using a clean spoon at each taste to prevent cross-contamination.

Thawing food

Thaw food quickly in a microwave or slowly in a fridge or chiller. The time thawing food spends at room temperature must be minimised to prevent bacterial growth. Some foods can be thawed under running cold water but it depends on whether this waterlogs the flesh or not.

Do not refreeze thawed foods. If thawed accidentally, the food must be eaten straight away or cooked and then refrozen if need be.

Cooking food

Cooking times and temperatures must be sufficient to ensure that all bacteria and their toxins are destroyed, and the food is cooked right through. Preheat the oven so that the food has the correct temperature right through the cooking time and probe the food once you think it is ready to ensure it has reached the correct temperature. Juices should run clear and any joints should move freely. The food should also be piping hot, especially if it has been cooked in a microwave as you cannot determine what temperature it operated at.

To probe for food temperature, insert a sanitised probe into the deepest part of the food. It is best to check a number of different sites. In poultry, check the thigh joint as opposed to the abdomen in order to test the meat, not the stuffing.

You also need to check your thermometers against each other to ensure they are accurate.

Microwaves

When using a microwave, ensure you turn or stir the food for even cooking throughout and allow for standing time at the end to finish the process. Check the food is cooked evenly and throughout before serving. It is best follow microwave specific recipes, as microwaves are easily misused and result in unsafe food.