Food safety is another big concern in the kitchen. Of course, you should always wash your hands immediately before cooking, and after touching any raw meat, etc. You should also wash any cuts of meat, or other raw foods, before cooking them. And take care to keep foods at the proper temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer in your fridge, get one, and make sure it’s always 40 degrees or below. Warmer than that, and bacteria can begin flourishing. Seafood should always be kept frozen or on ice. Food that has been frozen, and then thawed out, should not be refrozen. It should be used immediately or discarded. When cooking meat, a meat thermometer is essential, especially when cooking pork. If the meat doesn’t get hot enough, it can cause serious illness. So use a meat thermometer, and make sure it goes deep into the cut of meat, so that you’re sure the entire piece was cooked thoroughly. No food should ever be left out to sit. Leftovers should be immediately refrigerated or thrown away. We covered it more thoroughly in the section on child safety in the home, but remember to keep all sharp knives, gadgets, etc., out of the reach of small children. Make sure any hazardous cleaning products are out of their reach, too. For your own safety, read labels on such products thoroughly, and follow the instructions. Remember that using more than one product at the same time can be dangerous. Also be sure the number to the poison control center is on the refrigerator, and near the phone, in case of accidents.
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