Food Safety at Home

Nobody plans to give their family food poisoning. It just happens, usually because someone cut the salad on the same board they used for the raw chicken, or the potato salad sat out a little too long at the family picnic, or somebody decided the leftover lasagna "smelled fine" on day six.

The good news is that most food poisoning at home is completely preventable, and you don't need a lab coat to prevent it. Food safety comes down to four simple habits that food scientists call clean, separate, cook and chill.

Here's what each one means in a real family kitchen, plus the cooking temperatures to tape inside your cabinet door.

1. Clean: Hands, Surfaces and Produce

Wash your hands. It's the single most important food safety habit. Wash with soap and warm water for 20 seconds (the length of "Happy Birthday," sung twice) before you start cooking, after you touch raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs, and after you take out the trash, change a diaper or pet the dog. If you have a cut on your hand, wear a glove.

Wash surfaces and tools. Wash cutting boards, knives, utensils and counters with hot, soapy water right after they touch raw meat, and before you use them for anything else. Wipe up raw meat juices with paper towels, not the sponge you use for everything else.

Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting or cooking them, even the ones you're going to peel. A knife cuts straight through the skin and drags whatever's on the outside onto the inside. Scrub firm produce like potatoes, carrots and melons with a clean vegetable brush. Skip the soap and the produce washes. Plain running water works, and soap can leave a residue that upsets your stomach.

Don't wash raw chicken or meat. I know your mother did. Mine did too. But rinsing raw poultry just splashes bacteria all over your sink, your counters and the dish rack. Cooking kills the germs; rinsing spreads them.

Keep Your Sponges and Dishcloths Clean

The kitchen sponge is the germiest thing in your house. Clean it every day or two: microwave a damp sponge (no metal parts) on high for 1 minute, or run it through the dishwasher with a heated dry cycle. Replace it every week or two. Wash dishcloths and dish towels in hot water every couple of days. For more on getting germs out of the kitchen, see How to Clean a Kitchen.

2. Separate: Keep Raw Meat Away From Everything Else

Cross-contamination is when germs from raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs hitch a ride onto food that won't be cooked, like salad, bread or fruit. It's one of the most common causes of food poisoning at home.

• Use two cutting boards: one for raw meat, poultry and seafood, and one for produce and bread. Different colors make it easy to remember which is which. Plastic and wood are both fine, as long as you wash them well. Plastic boards can go in the dishwasher. Replace any board with deep grooves.
• Use a clean plate for cooked food. Never put grilled burgers back on the platter that carried them out raw. Wash it or grab a fresh one.
• Store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge, in a container or on a plate, so it can't drip on anything below it.
• Bag raw meat separately at the grocery store, and keep it away from produce in your cart.
• Don't reuse marinade from raw meat as a sauce, unless you boil it first.
• Cover meat with plastic wrap when you pound it, so the juice doesn't splatter.

To sanitize a cutting board, wash it, then flood it with 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water. Let it stand a few minutes, then rinse and air dry. For counters after a raw-meat spill, clean them first, then use a disinfecting spray or a solution of 1/3 cup of bleach per gallon of water. Never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners.

3. Cook: Use a Thermometer, Not Your Eyes

Safe Cooking Temperatures

• Chicken, turkey and all poultry (whole, pieces or ground): 165°F (74°C)
• Ground beef, pork, veal and lamb (burgers, meatloaf, meatballs): 160°F (71°C)
• Beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts: 145°F (63°C), then let it rest 3 minutes before cutting
• Fish and shellfish: 145°F (63°C), or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork
• Egg dishes (quiche, casseroles): 160°F (71°C)
• Leftovers and casseroles: 165°F (74°C)

Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. And yes, this means no tasting the raw cookie dough. Raw flour can carry E. coli, and raw eggs can carry Salmonella. I'm sorry. I don't make the rules.

4. Chill: Refrigerate Food Fast

Bacteria multiply fastest between 40°F and 140°F (4°C to 60°C). Food scientists call it the danger zone. The goal is to keep cold food cold, hot food hot, and get leftovers into the fridge quickly.

• The 2-hour rule: Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours of cooking or taking it out of the fridge. On a hot day (above 90°F), or at an outdoor picnic, that drops to 1 hour.
• Don't wait for food to cool. That old advice about letting food come to room temperature first is outdated. Divide big batches of soup, chili or rice into shallow containers so they cool quickly, then put them straight into the fridge.
• Keep your fridge at 40°F or below and your freezer at 0°F. Don't trust the dial. Pick up an inexpensive fridge thermometer.
• Date your leftovers with a piece of masking tape and a marker, and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat leftovers to 165°F, and bring soups and sauces to a boil.
• Keep eggs in the fridge, and toss any with cracked shells.

When in doubt, throw it out. You can't always see or smell the bacteria that cause food poisoning, so the sniff test isn't a safety test. And never taste something to see if it's still good. For how long specific foods last, see my food shelf life guide.

How to Thaw Food Safely

Never thaw meat on the counter. The outside sits in the danger zone for hours while the middle is still frozen. Use one of these instead:

1. In the refrigerator: The safest way, but plan ahead. Most foods need a day; a big turkey needs about a day for every 4 to 5 pounds. Food thawed in the fridge can be refrozen if you don't use it.
2. In cold water: Seal the food in a leak-proof bag and submerge it in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Cook it right away.
3. In the microwave: Use the defrost setting, then cook it immediately, since parts of the food may start to cook.
4. Cook it frozen: It's perfectly safe. It just takes about 50 percent longer.

Food Safety: Quick Answers

What are the four steps of food safety?

Clean, separate, cook and chill. Wash hands and surfaces, keep raw meat away from other foods, cook to a safe internal temperature and refrigerate food within 2 hours.

What temperature should chicken be cooked to?

165°F (74°C), measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone. That goes for whole birds, pieces and ground chicken or turkey.

How long can food sit out?

No more than 2 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour when it's above 90°F. After that, throw it out.

Should I wash raw chicken?

No. Washing raw chicken splashes bacteria around your sink and kitchen. Cooking it to 165°F kills the germs.

Can I put hot food in the fridge?

Yes. Refrigerate it within 2 hours. Divide large amounts into shallow containers so it cools quickly.

How long are leftovers good in the fridge?

3 to 4 days for most leftovers. Freeze anything you won't eat by then.

Keep Going

Keep your kitchen and your family healthy with these related guides:

• Food Shelf Life Guide: How long food really lasts.
• Deciphering a Food Label: What "best by," "use by" and "sell by" really mean.
• Fridge Food Storage Tips: What goes where, and why.
• Frozen Food Storage Tips: Freeze food without freezer burn.
• How to Clean a Kitchen: Seven steps and the germiest spots.
• The Pre-Thanksgiving Fridge Purge: Make room for the turkey.
• Fridge Odor Removal Tips: For when something in there has gone very wrong.
• Kitchen Chores for Kids by Age: From toddlers to teen chefs.