Do you remember how adamant we were about having a fire extinguisher on hand? Well, we have just realized that we have another important topic that we are just as adamant about: food safety.
Did you know that an average of 5,000 college kids a year get sick from food poisoning because they read cooking blogs that don’t stress the importance of food safety? Did you also know that 76% of statistics are made up on the spot?
Okay, we’ll tone down the humor now because this does need to be taken seriously. We have a set of easy rules to follow to ensure that we never get sick from our cooking and we want to share these with you.
The D&E Easy to Follow Food Safety Rules
1. Always have a fire extinguisher on hand in the kitchen. Because the worst kind of food poisoning is BEING ON FIRE!!!
2. Use one cutting board for meats, poultry, fish etc. (pretty much for anything that use to poop) and use one cutting board for everything else such as veggies, bread, herbs, etc. (anything that couldn’t poop). Make sure these are clearly marked to designate their difference. We use a red cutting board for our meats and a black one for everything else. Do not use a wooden board for meats.
3. Wash your hands after handling meats or eggs, wash your produce before you cut it, and wash your freaking dishes and utensils! Use hot, anti-bacterial-soapy water.
4. Divide your leftovers into small portions and store them in the fridge or freezer. This will ensure that the food cools down faster so that those pesky bacteria don’t grow. Also, reserve a special area in the fridge for meats, away from any food that won’t be cooked before eaten.
5. Thoroughly cook your food. With a thermometer (yes, go get one) insert into the thickets part of your food. Check this website for specifics.
6. Do not thaw food on the counter at room temperature. Thaw in the fridge or check the FAQ page for our favorite method.
7. After you are done cooking, clean up right away. Pans, counter tops, table, EVERYTHING! A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen.
Well that is about all we have. We’ve posted some links below that are also helpful, so take a look at them as well. And if we hear any of you whining about these rules, we will send Jack Bauer after you!
www.foodpoisoningtreatment.org/food-poisoning-treatment-tips-to-prevent-food-poisoning
www.asbestosincancer.com/12-tips-prevent-food-poisoning/
www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/preventing-food-poisoning
Cooking in College 
Better to be safe than sorry