Advice for students on how to keep their kitchen clean and reduce the risk of food poisoning.

Reheating your Food 

When food is at a temperature of between 8 – 63°C, this is called ‘the danger zone’. Between these temperatures the bacteria may grow and make you ill. It is important that food is cooked until steaming hot throughout, rather than warmed, as the high temperature will kill bacteria that may be present.

When reheating leftovers, you should only ever reheat once. This is because repeatedly changing temperatures provides more chances for bacteria to grow and cause food poisoning. You can reheat food in the microwave, on the hob or in the oven. Cooking times will vary according to the food you are reheating and how much food you are reheating. Here are some tips to make sure you have reheated your food thoroughly:

• follow instructions on the original food packaging if available or check the microwave manufacturer’s guidance on general cooking advice, including advice on stirring and standing
• microwaves can heat in ‘pockets’ so stirring or turning the food helps to prevent pockets of cold food in your meal
• some leftovers, such as lasagne, are better reheated in smaller portions to allow more even heating
• if reheating on the hob, stir frequently and make sure the food is heated throughout

Freezing and defrosting your food

A freezer acts as a pause button. This means food in a freezer won’t deteriorate and most bacteria cannot grow in it. You can freeze pre-packaged food right up to the use-by date. 

Leftovers and homemade foods should be frozen as soon as possible. Make sure any warm dishes are cooled before putting them in your freezer. Freezing food into individual portions will make them easier to defrost and you will use only what you need. You might find it helpful to label your food with the contents and the date it was frozen.

When you take your food out of the freezer, it’s important to defrost it safely before cooking or eating it. Don’t defrost food at room temperature. Ideally, food should be defrosted fully in the fridge in a leakproof container or a plate to contain drips to avoid cross contamination with the rest of the food in the fridge. If this isn’t possible, use a microwave on the defrost setting directly before cooking.

Make sure your food is fully defrosted before cooking. Partially defrosted food may not cook evenly, meaning that harmful bacteria could survive the cooking process. Once food has been defrosted, cook and eat it within 24 hours.

Bulk cooking

A cost effective way to manage your food and budget can be to bulk cook one dish and separate it out into different containers to eat throughout the week.

When bulk cooking, remember to cool and cover your food, and put them in a fridge or freezer within one to two hours. Do not leave food in the pan for extended periods of time as bacteria may grow.

Food that has been adequately cooled down within 1–2 hours should be stored in the fridge and consumed within two days. If you cook more portions than you can eat in two days, freeze any extra portions. Labelling your frozen leftovers with the type of food and date it was frozen will help you to keep organised.

Bulk cooking can be a great way to make your budget go further, but avoid preparing certain foods, such as rice, in advance, unless you plan to freeze it. You can get food poisoning from eating reheated rice.

Consume cooked rice within 24 hours of cooking. When you reheat any rice, always check the dish is steaming hot all the way through.

When shopping, aim to buy foods that you know you will eat (or freeze for later use) within the use by and best before dates.

Food past its best before date

The best before date on a food label is about quality, not safety.

You can still eat food safely for a period after the best before date, but never beyond the use-by date.

Keeping your kitchen clean

Effective cleaning and sanitation helps remove bacteria and stops harmful bacteria and viruses from spreading onto food.

Establishing a cleaning rota amongst your housemates and ensuring that there are a sufficient amount of effective cleaning products (that will kill bacteria and viruses) available, can help to encourage good cleaning practices in a shared kitchen. 

Avoiding cross-contamination on surfaces and chopping boards

It’s important to keep all surfaces, chopping boards, utensils and dishes clean before preparing food. This is to avoid cross-contamination. This is particularly important when preparing your meal, especially raw meat.

You are removing harmful bacteria by cleaning with warm, soapy water or by using disinfectant cleaning products and following the instructions on the label. 

Cleaning with washing up liquid does not kill the bacteria, but removes them into the waste water. Because of this, change washing up water regularly.

While it is possible to clean with cold water, using warm water will ensure that the washing up liquid lathers up properly and will help break down food particles. It is important that it lathers so it can be more effective at removing the bacteria.

Cleaning high-touch items

In every kitchen there are high-touch items that regularly come into contact with dirty surfaces, but which may be overlooked when cleaning. These can pose an increased risk of cross-contamination. 

It is important to wash or change dish cloths, tea towels, sponges and oven gloves regularly. Dish cloths and tea towels should be washed in the washing machine on a hot cycle. If you wash them, let them dry before you use them again as dirty, damp cloths allow bacteria to breed. 

Remember to disinfect high-touch areas around the kitchen, such as the fridge door, sink tap handles, and cupboard door handles. Smart phones and devices are used often during cooking and in the kitchen so should also be disinfected regularly with antibacterial wipes or similar. 

Taking out bins

Food waste should be disposed of in the appropriate bins in the kitchen. This should be regularly removed when the bins are full and put in the designated outside large bin area to avoid any infestation of flies, pests and a foul smell. 

If you are taking the bins out or emptying recycling containers, it is important to wash your hands after. This is especially important after handling dry rubbish as it’s not always obvious that it could be contaminated with bacteria.

You may find it helpful to establish a rota amongst your housemates to encourage good hygiene practices.

Information sourced from https://www.food.gov.uk/studentfood