Ace your kitchen sanitation exam

It's fascinating to watch the local TV news reporter tell us which restaurants got poor sanitation ratings. But if a health inspector visited our kitchens, would we pass?

Kitchens are high-risk environments, where poor sanitation practices can make you or family members sick. Unclean surfaces and equipment are breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses that cause colds, flu and other forms of misery.

Unsafe food handling practices and personal hygiene can have the same effect.

Kitchen cleanliness is especially important if you care for very young children, older adults or anyone with an illness.

So what's the likelihood that someone is going to get sick after eating at your house?

Earlier in my career, I performed sanitation inspections of group home kitchens. I learned some important strategies for minimizing the chances of passing on illness in the kitchen:

• Handwashing: Hands are a prime source of bacteria, and viruses easily spread through food. Wash hands with warm water and soap before you prepare a meal or empty the dishwasher.

Ditto for any time you stop to handle children, pets or trash cans, blow your nose, sneeze into your hand or go to the bathroom. If you handle raw meat or eggs, wash your hands afterward with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to ensure you don't transfer contaminants to the next thing you touch.

• Dirty surfaces: Do you set your purse, grocery bags or mail on your kitchen counter? Clean countertops and kitchen island surfaces before using them for meal prep.

Sponges and rags may catch some bacteria, but they can spread bacteria, too. Clean surfaces with disinfectant sprays, liquids or wipes that kill bacteria and viruses.

It's especially important to keep cutting boards clean. Keep a separate cutting board for meat and another for fruit and vegetables. Wash them after every use. Plastic, glass and wood cutting boards can be cleaned in the dishwasher.

Cutting boards used for raw meat should be disinfected after every use. Make your own disinfectant by mixing two teaspoons of household bleach with one quart of water. Keep some in a spray bottle and use it to disinfect cutting boards and countertops.

• Food handling: In general, food should not be left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours (one hour if outdoors in hot weather). Defrost meat in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator. If you leave meat in the refrigerator, keep it on the bottom shelf where it won't drip onto other food.

That little bit of leftover potato salad or olives that didn't get eaten?

Don't put food back into its original container once it's been set out for a meal, because food that's been out may have become contaminated.

• Grungy appliances: Don't let crud build up on can openers, blenders, food processors and other equipment. Regularly run dishwasher-safe parts through the dishwasher. Empty and clean your refrigerator regularly.
• Temperature control: Refrigerators should be kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Consider hanging a thermometer in your refrigerator to be sure. When you reheat leftovers, make sure they're hot (165 degrees F) so that potentially harmful bacteria are killed.

Other good ideas:

• Change dishtowels daily and run cleaning wands and sponges through dishwasher regularly.
• Keep a lid on trash containers. Rinse recyclable bottles and cans before placing them in recycling bins.
• Throw away worn cutting boards and chipped dishes and mugs.
• Keep fingernails clean and short. Long, elegant, polished nails are perfect bacteria traps.

A fun, interactive kitchen sanitation quiz is available online through the American Dietetic Association at www.homefoodsafety.org/pages/tips/quiz/index.jsp.

Steps you take in the kitchen can have a real impact in reducing illness in your home. Aim for a high A.