by Heather Tomasello

Created on: February 02, 2009   Last Updated: February 06, 2009

You've heard of it, you may have even experienced itfood poisoning. A few simple precautions can keep you from being the Typhoid Mary of the kitchen.

This cannot be repeated enough your first and last line of defense against food poisoning is hand-washing. Always wash your hands before you handle food, while you handle food and after you handle food.

Be especially vigilant when handling raw meat. When grilling, for example, don't reuse the plate that raw meat sat on for the finished, cooked product.

Wash utensils or grill tools after any contact with uncooked meat. After cutting meat on a chopping block, clean it thoroughly before using it to slice vegetables. Or, better yet, use separate chopping blocks for vegetables and meat.

WHICH IS SAFER: A WOOD OR PLASTIC CHOPPING BLOCK?

Historically, plastic was believed to be safer because it is non-porous, and so could be more easily and safely cleaned. Porous wood was thought to allow bacteria like salmonella or e-coli to soak in, making it harder to clean and prevent food contamination.

However, microbiologists at the University of Wisconsin's Food Research Institute contaminated wooden cutting boards and plastic ones with all bacteria that cause food poisoning, and guess what? Without even washing it, the bacteria on the wooden board died in three minutes. On the plastic board, bacteria remained and actually multiplied overnight.

According to Patrick J. Bird, Ph.D. at the University of Florida, "Although the Food and Drug Administration has long recommended plastic cutting boards, based on the observation that it not as hard to clean plastic as porous wood, new information shows that wood cutting boards are actually safer than the plastic or so-called anti-bacterial kind."

CLEANING YOUR CUTTING BOARDS

As the debate rages on, my advice is to follow your own preference. However, whether you choose plastic or wood, keep your cutting boards clean to prevent food poisoning.

Wash your cutting board with hot soapy water and a brush after each use. Then rinse and air-dry or pat dry with paper towels. Non-porous acrylic, plastic, glass, and solid wood boards can be washed in an automatic dishwasher.

After cutting raw meat you may also want to sanitize a cutting board with a diluted chlorine bleach or vinegar solution. Flood the surface with a sanitizing solution and allow it to stand for several minutes, then rinse and air-dry or pat dry with paper towels. You can run it through the dishwasher or wet it and cook in the microwave (on high) for thirty seconds.

To create your own cleaning solution, mix one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach in one quart of water. To use vinegar, dilute it with water in a five to one ratio. Wear gloves when working with either.

COOK MEAT PROPERLY

Be sure to cook meat thoroughly and refrigerate leftovers promptly.

A meat thermometer is an inexpensive and essential kitchen tool. Buy one that has markings with

There are other sources of contamination in the kitchen. How about the sponge on or under the sink? If it looks or smells dirty, throw it away. To sterilize a sponge, you the temperatures for each type of meat and you'll never have to look the numbers up in a cookbook.

Following these simple precautions will hopefully keep you from experiencing food poisoning.

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