[Jem Smith]

Nobody likes to get get sick, and one of the most common causes of preventable illness is food poisoning. Having food poisoning is really unpleasant, and in some cases can land you in hospital, or even lead to death. Here are some tips on safe food handling and hygiene practices to avoid getting sick or making anyone else sick.

1. Wash your hands
You should always wash your hands thoroughly:
- before touching food
-after coughing or sneezing
-after using the toilet
-after touching a rubbish bin
-after handling uncooked meat
Use soap. Wash them front and back for at least 20 seconds (you can keep track of this by singing 'happy birthday' twice in your head, or any other song you choose that is the right length), then dry thoroughly.

Don't eat raw meat or seafood
I know people do eat things like steak tartar or raw seafood in sushi, but those things need to be carefully prepared and the ingredients need to be a certain quality, so if you choose to do so, be careful. In general, it's better to cook meat because the cooking process kills most bacteria and parasites which could make you sick.

Don't leave cooked food out at room temperature
I don't mean things like bread, here. If you have cooked a meal and want to eat it as leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If you leave it sitting out, bacteria can grow in it. Once bacteria have started to grow they will produce toxins which can make you sick if you eat them. Even if you then kill the bacteria by reheating or freezing the food, the toxins will still be there.

Cold food should be kept at 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit) or cooler. Hot foot should be kept at 60 to 100 degrees celsius (140-212).

Only reheat foods once
If you take leftovers out of the fridge and reheat them, but don't use all of them, do not put them back in the fridge or freezer. If you don't finish them, throw them away, feed them to a pet or use them for compost.

Don't keep leftovers for too long
Leftovers stored in the fridge should be eaten within 3 days. After that, the risk of food poisoning starts to go up.

Keep raw and uncooked foods separate
If you are handling things like uncooked meat, wash your hands before touching things like salad.

Keep food preparation areas clean
Keep areas like your kitchen bench, fridge, sink etc. clean. Also clean your oven, stove and microwave. It's a cook idea to have separate chopping boards for different types of food, like one for meat and one for vegetables. These can be colour coded to keep it simple.

Potentially hazardous foods:
Some of the foods to be most careful of are:
raw and cooked meat
Protein rich foods (anything with eggs, beans or nuts)
cooked pasta or rice (This one often gets overlooked, but people have actually died of food poisoning from improperly stored rice and pasta)
Prepared salads (with cut fruit or vegetables)
Sprouts (beans, alfalfa)

Check foods for contamination
If you are using bread that's a couple of days old, check it for mold first. Check the expiry dates on the things you buy. 'Best before' is different from an expiry date. A food that's past it's 'best before' date is probably safe to eat, it just might not taste as good or might be slightly stale. However, a food that's past its expiry date may be unsafe. Some foods are probably still okay after this date has past, but it's better not to take chances with the more hazardous foods like dairy products and meat.

You can test the age/freshness of eggs using the float test. Place an egg in a bowl of water. if it lies flat on the bottom of the bowl it's quite fresh. If one end of the egg tilts upwards it's a little older (a week or more). If it floats, throw it away. This test is not 100% reliable, but it helps. If the egg is really rotten you will know from the smell when you crack it. If you're not sure, crack the egg into a cup first instead of straight into the pan or bowl so you don't get nasty egg in whatever you were cooking.


This is not an all inclusive list of safe food handling procedures, just a few tips. A little care and attention can help prevent you or others getting sick. Stay safe!



Sources/further information:
Food poisoning prevention
https://www.qld.gov.au/health/staying-healthy/food-pantry/starting-a-food-business/skills-and-knowledge/preventing-food-poisoning

WHO 10 rules for safe food handling
https://www.paho.org/en/health-emergencies/who-golden-rules-safe-food-preparation

Hand washing
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hand-washing
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hand-washing

[Fergal]

Some great tips there Jem Smith, thanks for sharing those with us.

If you have cooked a meal and want to eat it as leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer

Do you need to let it cool down, before you put it back in the fridge, or can you put it into the fridge when it is still warm?

[Jem Smith]

Some great tips there Jem Smith, thanks for sharing those with us.

If you have cooked a meal and want to eat it as leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer

Do you need to let it cool down, before you put it back in the fridge, or can you put it into the fridge when it is still warm?

Yes, that is a good point. It depends a bit on what it is. For rice or pasta it's better if you cool it quickly by setting the container in a sink full of cold water, or running the colander under the tap rather than leaving it sitting out on the bench to cool off.

https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/S_T/Safe-cooling-of-cooked-rice

[SHAHID987]

It remain Very difficult to go in deep and to remember all the things, which are required to avoid food hazards but generally speaking if you just stop taking junk foods then you will remain healthy.

[Jem Smith]

It remain Very difficult to go in deep and to remember all the things, which are required to avoid food hazards but generally speaking if you just stop taking junk foods then you will remain healthy.

My article is actually about avoiding food poisoning by being careful about how you prepare and store foods, not about which foods you eat.

[germainebull]

I know people do eat things like steak tartar or raw seafood in sushi, but those things need to be carefully prepared and the ingredients need to be a certain quality, so if you choose to do so, be careful. In general, it's better to cook meat because the cooking process kills most bacteria and parasites which could make you sick.

I understand that raw meat like sushi requires high-quality preparation to avoid illness. I prefer to cook my food well because heat kills insects and worms that can cause stomach problems.

[Netherrealmer]

thing I learned is that if food is tomato-based, like a stew with tomatoes, everyone in the family have to finish it right away because it's one of the leftovers that gets ruined if it's standing on open air for hours.

[germainebull]

Don't eat raw meat

I think this is a no-brainer.

[Jem Smith]

Don't eat raw meat

I think this is a no-brainer.

You would think so, hey, but there are people who do it. There are lots of online influencers spruiking a 'carnivore diet' (some of them mean literally eating nothing but meat. It's a good way to get scurvy.

-- 11 Apr 2026, 13:02 --

thing I learned is that if food is tomato-based, like a stew with tomatoes, everyone in the family have to finish it right away because it's one of the leftovers that gets ruined if it's standing on open air for hours.

Can't you just refrigerate it?

[germainebull]

Keep raw and uncooked foods separate
If you are handling things like uncooked meat, wash your hands before touching things like salad.

This caution is especially crucial in restaurant settings.

[Jem Smith]

Keep raw and uncooked foods separate
If you are handling things like uncooked meat, wash your hands before touching things like salad.

This caution is especially crucial in restaurant settings.

Yeah, restaurants have to be careful because they could get more people sick, but there are regulations they have to follow, staff get training, and they get inspected to check they're up to code. In your own home it's up to you to make sure you are doing things properly with nobody to prompt you or make you do it right.

[Spontaneo]

Is it absolutely necessary to rinse rice before cooking? I do not have a drainer to use to rinse the rice.

[bestwriter]

I steam the left overs after thawing them from the fridge The food tastes as good as new

[monster_masterpiece]

I steam the left overs after thawing them from the fridge The food tastes as good as new

It is also beneficial to health.

[Jem Smith]

I steam the left overs after thawing them from the fridge The food tastes as good as new

It is also beneficial to health.

How is it beneficial?

[Spontaneo]

I have asked about the rinsing of rice first as have seen on many posts how much all of you consume alot of rice.

I have cooked rice in the past but have never rinsed.

What do you do?

[germainebull]

Interesting @Spontaneo. Do you mind sharing on why you don't rinse rice?

[Jem Smith]

I have asked about the rinsing of rice first as have seen on many posts how much all of you consume alot of rice.

I have cooked rice in the past but have never rinsed.

What do you do?

In Australia people mostly don't rinse rice but I gather you are supposed to, to reduce the level of arsenic that can be in it. How big of a concern this is also depends on how often you eat rice. If it's once a week or less then it's probably not a huge deal. I'd have to look into it more though to say for sure.

[Spontaneo]

I have asked about the rinsing of rice first as have seen on many posts how much all of you consume alot of rice.

I have cooked rice in the past but have never rinsed.

What do you do?

In Australia people mostly don't rinse rice but I gather you are supposed to, to reduce the level of arsenic that can be in it. How big of a concern this is also depends on how often you eat rice. If it's once a week or less then it's probably not a huge deal. I'd have to look into it more though to say for sure.

Thank you.

[Fergal]

Jem Smith thanks for posting a popular article on ForumCoin, sending ForumCoin now.