One EASY Step to Preventing Cross-Contamination
By Alice Osborne
One of the most common causes of food-related illness (a.k.a food poisoning) is something called cross-contamination, or the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food product to another by way of contaminated tools, equipment or hands.
Ever had food poisoning? It would probably be hard to find someone who hasn't. And if we all compare notes, we'd probably all agree: We felt like we were dying and during the worst of it, we wish we had!
Another thing we'd probably all agree on: We hope we NEVER experience it again. A worthy goal, so it makes sense to learn everything we can to prevent it (at least in our own homes).
In many cases of cross-contamination, cutting boards are a prime culprit. So with this in mind, I went looking for ways to stop cutting board cross-contamination dead in its tracks. The best advice I found was on the about.com website. They suggest using separate, color-coded cutting boards for different ingredients as a great way of preventing cross-contamination. This made so much more sense than trying to keep one single cutting board contamination-free.
The colors help you keep track of which cutting boards are reserved for which types of foods, so that you're less likely to cut lettuce on the same board you just used for prepping raw poultry.
Sound complicated? Fortunately, you don't need to adopt the entire system in order to cook more safely at home. Even having one separate, distinctively colored cutting board that's reserved just for raw meat is a great idea - one that will go a long way toward minimizing your chances of a food-related illness.
Here are the different cutting board colors and their meanings:
Green: Fruits & Vegetables
Yellow: Raw Poultry
Blue: Cooked Food
White: Dairy Products
Tan: Fish & Seafood
Red: Raw Meat
You can buy a complete set of color-coded cutting boards including all the colors listed above. Or you can buy the colors separately, in case you don't want the whole set. Flexible color coded cutting mats start at about $4 each, and thicker cutting boards come in sets for around $30. Amazon.com seems to have the best prices.
As we start to move into warmer weather that sees more grilling and fresh salads and veggie dishes, it's a good time to look into the idea of color coded cutting boards. Let's commit now to stopping cross contamination and doing all we can to eliminate the possibility of ever again suffering from food poisoning!
