food safety

Food Safety in the home is a very important issue whether for day to day preparation of food for the family or for a home catered event.

For the most up to date information on how to handle food safely and for the latest Food Safety Guidelines contact your Local Council or State Government as they have extensive publications and comprehensive literature or websites with all the information you will require on Food Safety.

The Food Safety Information Council of Australia also has a wide range of articles on food handling, they have a website www.foodsafety.asn.au

Or you can write to them at

Food Safety Information Council
P.O. Box 139
Red Hill ACT 2603

Kitchen safety

• Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and fresh running water before commencing to handle or cook food.
• Wearing a clean apron can protect contaminants on clothing from transposing into food.
• In the kitchen it is essential to protect your feet so always wear shoes that are covered in, just in case boiling liquid is spilled or heavy pots or pans are dropped. Knives especially can be very dangerous and no-one wants their toes stabbed!
• Sharp utensils and knives should be kept out of the reach of small children.
• Never put sharp knives into a sink of soapy water as you can't see where they are and fingers can get cut badly. When washing knives always turn the sharp edge away from fingers to prevent accidents.
• Chopping boards can sometimes slip around and are dangerous to cut on with a sharp knife. Place a damp dishcloth or tea towel under the chopping board to make a more stable surface to chop on.
• When removing food from an oven or a stovetop always wear oven mitts or use clean dry tea towels to protect your hands from being burnt. Never use a damp tea towel as the heat from the pans or trays will be easily transferred through the tea towel and burn your hands.
• Never leave saucepan handles jutting out from the stovetop as they can easily get knocked over when people walk past. Make sure the handles are all turned inwards.
• Tea Towels and cloths can easily catch fire, especially near gas hotplates, so be careful to keep them away from heat. Use oven mitts for lifting hot things.
• Hot saucepans placed onto a bench top can scorch, badly burn or even scratch the surface. Always use protective mats between the bench and the saucepan.
• Never use electrical appliances near water as they can electrocute you and never use these appliances with wet hands. Always dry your hands well before using any electrical appliance.