Posted by Laurel Hudson on Wed, Aug 11, 2010 @ 12:52 PM
The Wellspring Cookbook: Sweet Edition
by Chef Laurel Hudson
Available Thursday, August 12, 2010!!!!
The Wellspring Cookbook: Sweet Treats Edition
by Chef Laurel Hudson
-All on plan sweet recipes, with none over 2 grams of fat per serving, ranging from breakfast foods, beverages, cakes, cookies, pies, frozen desserts, snacks...
-200 pages, all color photos for almost every recipe
-Recipes included:
Mini Cinnamon Buns
Sugar Raised Doughnuts
Cinnamon Banana Pancakes
Blueberry Stuffed Muffins
French Toast Dunkers
Irish Soda Bread Scones
Banana Pumpkin Bread Muffins
Maple Berry Waffles with Whip Cream
Birthday Cake Doughnuts
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Frozen Hot Chocolate
Fruit Soda Slushy
Hot Cocoa
Peach Sorbet Shake
Rich and Creamy Chocolate Milk
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Strawberries & Creme Smoothie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Orange Snowball Cookies
Banana Bread Cookies
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Pie Cookies
No Bake Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Sugar Cookies
Traditional Biscotti
Apple Spice Cake
Banana Cupcakes
Brownie Cupcakes
Lemon Teacakes
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Creamsicle Cupcakes
Eggnog Cupcakes
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Peaches and Cream Cake
Pineapple Lime Trifle
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Strawberry Shortcake
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Frosted Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Pudding Popsicles
Ice Cream Cupcakes
Apple Crisp
Blueberry Pie Pockets
Pumpkin Pie Pockets
Apple Pie
Cherry Pie Egg Rolls
Cinnamon Sugar Crusted Banana Empanadas
Mini Apple Pie Pockets
Triple Berry Pie Pockets
Pumpkin Pie
Upside Down Banana Cream Pie Cups
Salted Caramel Cinnamon Flan
Bananas Foster
Milk Chocolate Mousse
Bite Sized Cheesecakes
Bread Pudding
Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Fruit Pizza
Pumpkin Pie Pudding
No Bake Cheesecake
Old Fashioned Vanilla Egg Custard
Sugared Fresh Berries & Whipped Cream
Extra Dark Chocolate Truffles
Chips & Fruit Salsa
S'mores
Hot Cocoa Chex Mix
Fried Bananas
Pumpkin Pie Cruncher
Snack Crunchers
Peanut Butter Banana Nachos
Hot Fudge Sundaes
Sweet Berry Sauce
Buttercream Frosting
Pumpkin Pie Syrup
Chocolate Brownies
Gingerbread with Lemon Cream Sauce
Magic Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites
Blondies
Glazed Pumpkin Bars
Sticky Monkey Bread
To order the cookbook, contact tlaguna@wellspringacademies.com
Posted by Laurel Hudson on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 @ 03:02 PM
Hygiene
Wash your hands! Use warm water and soap, scrubbing between fingers and under fingernails. You should wash your hands for twenty seconds, or long enough to sing, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." I also like to use an instant hand sanitizer, such as Purell, before and after coming in contact with meat, poultry and vegetables. You don't need a lot...probably a squirt in one hand about the size of a dime and rub in until your hands are dry....approximately 15-20 seconds. In as little as 15 seconds it will kill 99.99% of most common germs that can cause illness. Don't handle food when you are sick. Cover cuts, burns, sores, and abrasions with a tight, dry, antiseptic bandage. Shower or bathe daily when you are handling food. Keep your clothes clean; wear an apron and change it if you wipe your hands on it or it becomes soiled. Keep your hair clean and tied back. Use soap and plenty of hot water to wash your hands frequently, especially after any act that might contaminate foods. What sort of acts might contaminate foods? Touching your eyes, mouth, ears, nose or hair, smoking, eating or drinking, using the rest room, sneezing or coughing, using a tissue or handkerchief, handling raw food (such as unwashed fruits or vegetables or uncooked meat), taking out the trash, touching a pet or animal, or touching any dirty surfaces (such as wash cloths, money or credit cards, or soiled dishes or linen). If you wear food handler gloves, throw them away after each use, or wash your gloved hands as thoroughly as you would wash your bare hands. Gloves can spread germs just as easily as bare hands.
Cleaning the Kitchen
Wipe up spills promptly. Clean and sanitize equipment and utensils after each changed use. This includes knives, cutting boards, and thermometers. Food contact surfaces such as counters and cutting boards must be washed after each use with a clean moist cloth wetted with fresh sanitizing solution.
Refrigerator Information and Organization
Potentially hazardous foods consisting of or containing meats, dairy products, poultry, seafood, cooked rice, cooked potatoes, eggs products, raw seed sprouts, cut melons, or garlic-in-oil mixtures must be stored in the refrigerator. Store raw meats, poultry, fish, and raw shell eggs on lower shelves and ready-to eat foods on upper shelves to minimize the chances of cross contamination.
Using a Thermometer
Do you know when your hamburger is cooked sufficiently? Like many people, do you assume it is cooked because it's brown? According the USDA, one out of every four hamburgers actually turns brown in the middle before it has reached a safe internal temperature. To protect yourself and your family, use a food thermometer to make sure your food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy foodborne bacteria. Thermometers today come in all shapes and sizes, including instant-reads, microwave oven probes, and pop-ups. Even barbecue forks are available with built-in thermometers! According to the experts, digital thermometers are ideal for checking thin foods, while large-dial thermometers are meant for use with larger roasts, whole chickens, and turkeys. Thermometers should be placed in the thickest area of the meat, but not in fat or near bone. Make sure to choose and use the thermometer that is right for you and know when your food is really done and safe to eat.
Microwaving
Never use plastic storage containers such as margarine tubs, take-out containers, whipped topping bowls, and other one-time use containers for cooking or reheating food in your microwave. These containers are not heat resistant and can melt, possibly leaching harmful chemicals into your food. Microwave plastic wraps, wax paper, cooking bags, parchment paper, and white microwave-safe paper towels should be safe to use. Never use thin plastic storage bags, brown paper or plastic grocery bags, or aluminum foil in the microwave. Cover foods with a lid (vented) or a microwave-safe plastic wrap to hold in moisture and provide safe, even heating. After reheating foods in the microwave oven, allow standing time. Then, use a clean food thermometer to check that food has reached 165 °F. If your microwave does not come with a carousel, be sure to rotate the food. Also, stir the food occasionally during the cooking process, which will eliminate cold spots and improve heat distribution. To retain surface moisture, cover food with a lid or plastic wrap. Make sure you always loosen or vent the lid or wrap to let steam escape. (The moist heat will help destroy harmful bacteria and ensure uniform cooking.) Stir or rotate food midway through the microwaving time to eliminate cold spots where harmful bacteria can survive and for more even cooking. Allow food to stand covered in the microwave for an additional two minutes to stabilize the temperature. Do not cook large cuts of meat on high power (100%). Large cuts of meat should be cooked on medium power (50%) for longer periods. This allows heat to reach the center without overcooking outer areas. Do not partially cook food in the microwave then save it for later. Food that has been partially cooked in a microwave should be transferred to another heat source, such as a barbecue grill or a conventional oven, immediately. Use your food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to safe temperatures! When defrosting in the microwave, make sure to remove food from the original packaging. (Note: Many of the foam or plastic trays and wraps are not heat stable and may melt at the high temperatures produced by microwaves.) Only use cookware that is specially manufactured for use in the microwave oven. Glass, ceramic containers, and all plastics should be labeled for microwave oven use.
Food Storage
Don't always rely on shelf-life dates: smell and check your food for offensive odors or colors before cooking or serving. Foods must not be stored past their life expectancy. When in doubt, throw it out! Food storage areas including refrigerators must be kept clean. Never taste contents of a can that is bloated, dented or rusted: discard it immediately! Many bacteria produce toxins that are not killed by cooking and can cause severe illness.
Cross Contamination
Avoid cross-contamination: raw meats should never be cut on the same cutting boards as vegetables that will be consumed raw. Clean produce shouldn't share workspace with unwashed fruits and vegetables--wash melon rinds, potatoes and onions before slicing or trimming them. Never use marinades or sauces that have been used for raw meats unless you've cooked them first. Cross-contamination is a serious hazard in any kitchen. Wash all raw fruits and vegetables before preparation.
Thawing Food
The methods you use for thawing food is also an integral part of safe food handling. There are three safe ways of thawing frozen food: in a refrigerator, under running water, and in a microwave. Never thaw frozen food at room temperature. It runs the risk of contamination whenever it is left at room temperature. When thawing frozen food in the refrigerator, remove the food from the freezer. Thaw only the amount of food you need. Place the wrapped food in a shallow container on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator. Do not unwrap the food for thawing. Make sure the refrigerator temperature is cold enough to keep the thawing food cooler than 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). Leave the food in the refrigerator until it is totally thawed. Large amounts of food or food in boxes can take several days to fully thaw in the refrigerator. When thawing frozen foods under running water, begin by removing only the amount of food you need from the freezer. Make sure the food is tightly wrapped or placed in a watertight container. Place the wrapped food or container under cold running water of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) or less. Make sure the water doesn't directly touch the food and that the food doesn't directly touch the sink. Leave the food under running water until it is completely thawed. When thawing frozen food in a microwave oven, begin by removing only the amount of food you need from the freezer. Put the food in a microwave-safe container. Adjust the microwave setting according to the manufacturer's instructions. Start the microwave. Thaw food in a microwave oven only in emergencies. Cook food immediately after microwave thawing. Microwave cooking causes food to lose moisture and reduces its quality. Do not refreeze food after it has thawed.
Spoiled Food Vs. Hazardous Food: Food spoilage is caused by tiny invisible organisms called bacteria. Bacteria live everywhere we live, and most of them don't do us any harm. It's important to note that spoiled food isn't necessarily dangerous food. For one thing, most people won't eat food that smells bad, looks slimy or whatever. And you can't get food poisoning from something you didn't eat. Moreover, the microorganisms that cause ordinary food spoilage aren't necessarily harmful to us. In fact, centuries before refrigerators, the earliest sauces and seasonings were used to mask the "off" tastes and smells of food that had begun to spoil. This continues to be true in parts of the world where people don't have home refrigeration units (which, interestingly enough, includes most people alive on the planet today).
Harmful Bacteria- The bacteria we're concerned with from a food safety standpoint are the so-called "pathogens" that cause food poisoning. And these pathogens, like salmonella or E. coli, don't produce any smells, off-tastes or changes in the food's appearance - a slimy surface, for instance, or some sort of discoloration. So how do we control these nasties? One way would be to starve them out. As noted above, bacteria need food to survive. Get rid of the food, and your bacteria problem disappears. Unfortunately, though, without food, the field of culinary arts has very little to offer. So we'll assume that food is part of the equation. Bacteria still have several other, quite specific, requirements, each of which can be controlled to some extent. Armed with this knowledge, we can effectively minimize the chances of food-borne illness. The factors we need to keep in mind include: Temperature, Time, Moisture, pH Level (Acidity). As living organisms go, bacteria lead fairly simple lives. They don't walk or crawl, so the only time they go anywhere is when someone moves them. Otherwise, they pretty much stay put, content to spend their time eating and making more of themselves. Unfortunately, what they're eating is our food - especially foods that are high in protein, like meats, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. To be sure, some of them will go for low-protein foods like fruits and vegetables, but those ones are a lot slower. Which is why an onion or a peach left on your kitchen counter for a couple of days would still be safe to eat, while a steak clearly would not. Fortunately, we have size on our side. Bacteria are really small, and it takes quite a lot of them to make us sick. So rather than killing them, and ruining our food in the process, we merely have to stop them from multiplying - or at least slow them down - so that there's never enough of them to do us any harm. We do that by controlling the food's temperature during every stage of storage and preparation.
Food Temperature Danger Zone: You see, bacteria thrive between 41°F and 140°F, a range of temperatures that's known as the "Food Temperature Danger Zone." Perhaps not surprisingly, it's the same temperature range that humans thrive in. Not only that, but our bodies' natural temperature of 98.6°F is so right smack in the middle of that Danger Zone, it's not even funny. Bacteria can't wait to get inside of us. Once they make it to our intestines, it's like a bacteria Mardi Gras. To minimize this danger, perishable food shouldn't be allowed to spend more than an hour in the Food Temperature Danger Zone - cumulatively. Any longer than that and it should either be cooked or thrown away. Keeping cold foods cold means storing them at temperatures between 40°F, which is where normal refrigeration kicks in, down to about 0°F, which is where you'd want your freezer to be. Bacteria still multiply at cold temperatures, they just do it a lot more slowly. At freezing temperatures, bacterial growth slows to nearly nil. Freezing doesn't kill them, though - all it does is make them cold. Once you thaw that food, watch out! Any bacteria that were there before freezing will just warm up and start multiplying again - with a vengeance. Keeping hot foods hot presents other challenges. Bacterial growth slows down once again at temperatures hotter than 140°F, so hot foods that are being served on a buffet, for example, must be kept hotter than that at all times. Keep in mind that 140°F doesn't kill bacteria - it only stops them from multiplying. If you actually want to kill bacteria, you've got to heat them up to at least 165°F. The same rule applies to cooked food that should happen to drop below 140°F - you get an hour, total. After that, you either need to heat it up to 165°F again or throw it away. And by the way, you can only reheat it once. If it drops below 140°F a second time, you need to toss it. Time works hand in hand with temperature in encouraging the growth of bacteria. Let's say you buy a package of uncooked chicken breasts. Maybe it's in your shopping cart for 15 minutes while you shop, then it's in your car for another 15 minutes while you drive home. So before you even get that chicken home, bacteria have had a full 30 minutes to run rampant. Then later they might spend another 15 minutes on your counter while you prep them, bringing the cumulative total to 45 minutes already. As you can see, you really don't have much wiggle room. Like all living organisms, bacteria need water to survive. Foods high in moisture like meats, poultry, seafoods and dairy products, as well as fruits and vegetables, are prime breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Low-moisture foods, including dried grains and legumes such as rice or beans, will typically keep for a very long time without spoiling or harboring bacteria. Another aspect of the moisture factor is that through a process called osmosis, sugar and salt actually suck the moisture out of bacteria, effectively killing them by dehydration. As a result, a high salt and/or sugar content will tend to preserve foods - which is why salt and sugar are used in brining and curing of meats. pH is a measure of how acidic something is, and it runs on a scale of 0 to 14. Anything lower than 7 is considered acid and anything higher than 7 is considered base or alkaline. A value of 7 would be considered neutral. Ordinary water, for example, has a pH of 7. As it turns out, bacteria can't stand anything too acidic or too alkaline. For bacteria to thrive, the pH environment needs to be neutral. Well, guess what foods fall into that category? Yep - animal based products like seafood, meat, poultry, eggs and milk. By contrast, most vegetables and pasta have a very high pH when uncooked, but turn neutral - hence, more hazardous - when cooked. Highly acidic foods such as citrus, tomatoes, apples, vinegar, berries and so on, are relatively unattractive to bacteria from a pH standpoint. They'll grow, it just takes a lot longer. It may seem like there are a lot of ways to control the growth of bacteria in our food - and technically, it's true. But we can't control time. It keeps ticking away no matter what. And while we can change the moisture and acidity levels of foods, relying on that method alone would mean eating a lot more chicken jerky and pickled eggs. For that reason, temperature really is the most crucial element in controlling the spread of food-borne illness. The table below illustrates the Food Temperature Danger Zone and other key temperatures for safe food handling. And if you want to be able to measure temperatures, you're going to need an instant-read thermometer. It's pretty easy to avoid eating spoiled food. If the funky smell doesn't warn you off, the weird color probably will. Harmful bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli are a different story, though. When these baddies contaminate food, they do so without any physical signs, smells or tastes whatsoever. We need to rely on other methods to avoid getting sick. Like killing the little beasties - which is really not that hard to do. Temperatures hotter than 165°F kill most bacteria within a few seconds. But to do the job, it's a food's internal temperature that has to reach 165°F, not just the outside. And with the exception of poultry, cooking meats or vegetables to that degree renders them all but inedible. Bacteria won't multiply in the colder temperatures of a refrigerator or freezer, or at temperatures hotter than 141°F. Where they thrive is between 41°F and 140°F, a region known as the "Food Temperature Danger Zone." To substantially reduce your chances of contracting, or passing along, a food-borne illness, make sure that your perishable foods never spend more than an hour in the Food Temperature Danger Zone. Here are some basic food handling techniques to help you do just that.
|
165°F and higher: |
Most bacteria die within several seconds |
|
141°F to 164°F: |
Holding hot foods and sauces. Bacteria aren't killed, but they don't multiply, either. |
|
40°F to 140°F:
Food Temperature Danger Zone |
Bacteria thrive and multiply. Limit exposure of perishable foods to one hour or less. |
|
33°F to 39°F: |
Refrigerated food storage. Bacteria aren't killed. They multiply, but relatively slowly. Food is safe here for a limited time. |
|
32°F and lower: |
Frozen food storage: Bacteria aren't killed, but they don't multiply, either. |
Cutting Boards: Nonporous surfaces like plastic or glass are easier to clean than wood and thus better in terms of food safety. Wood is naturally porous, and those tiny fissures and grooves in wooden cutting boards can harbor bacteria. Which is why cutting boards made of wood aren't allowed in commercial kitchens. That being the case, why use them at home? As for glass cutting boards, they're just awful for your knives and aren't allowed in commercial kitchens, either. Why? Because things get dropped in kitchens, and broken glass in the soup is a real no-no. Bottom line: Use plastic or acrylic cutting boards, not wood or glass. Consider using separate cutting boards for fresh produce and bread, raw meats, poultry and seafoods, dairy products, and cooked foods. This will prevent bacteria on a cutting board that is used for raw meat from contaminating a food that requires no further cooking. You can even purchase color-coded cutting boards to help you keep them separate. Cutting boards should be washed with hot, soapy water after each use, rinsed with clear water and air dried. You can also pat them dry with clean paper towels - but don't dry with a dishtowel. Why? Dishtowels hang around the kitchen and get wiped on everything, making them the ideal vehicle for spreading bacteria from one kitchen tool or surface (or even your hands) to another. Acrylic or plastic boards can be run through a dishwasher, which is a great way to clean and sanitize them. It's another reason they're superior to wooden boards, because wooden boards may warp, crack or split if washed in the dishwasher. Don't have a dishwasher? You can sanitize plastic cutting boards in a chlorine solution consisting of 1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. (Use unscented bleach only - don't use bleach that has lemon or pine scent added!) Ideally you'd fill a sink with this solution and then soak the cutting boards in it for half an hour or so, then rinse them with clear water and air dry. If your sink isn't big enough, you can fill a spray bottle with the sanitizing bleach solution and spritz the surface of the boards generously and let them stand for a few minutes, then rinse and dry as described. Cutting boards wear out over time: they may develop hard-to-clean grooves from your knife, or they may just get dinged up from heavy use. Cutting boards are nothing to get sentimental over. When they wear out, toss them out and replace them.
Grilling: Outdoor grilling and barbecuing brings the risk of food poisoning. Here are a few basic food safety techniques that can help you prevent foodborne illness when you're cooking on the grill. Cooked meats can be kept hot on the grill by moving them to the side of the grill rack. It's important to keep cooked meat and poultry hot - at 140°F or warmer - until you're ready to serve it. When you remove cooked meats from the grill, place them on clean plates or platter, not on the same dish they were on before they were cooked. Any raw meat juices remaining on the plate could transfer bacteria to the cooked foods.
Marinating: Meats prepared using dry-heat cooking methods such as grilling are often marinated beforehand to provide moisture, flavor, or to increase tenderness. Always keep meats refrigerated during the marinating process. And if you intend to use some of the marinating liquid as a sauce, set some of it aside beforehand. If you must make sauce from marinade that has had raw meat or poultry in it, heat it to a boil for at least 30 seconds to kill any harmful bacteria.
Leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers right away, and throw away any food that's been left out for more than two hours. If the temperature outside is hotter than 90°F, shorten this time to one hour.
Thermometer: So named because it gives a temperature reading very quickly, an instant-read thermometer is an essential food safety and sanitation tool. An instant-read thermometer is ideal for checking the temperatures of liquids such as stocks and soups, making sure they are cooling quickly enough to minimize the growth of bacteria; or for checking the temperatures of hot foods that are being held for service on a buffet. It can also be used to check the internal temperature of cooking poultry. Insert the stem into the deepest part of the thigh, where it meets the breast, making sure not to hit bone. Just remember that each time you pierce the bird like this, some of its juices escape, causing it to dry out. Take care to wash and sanitize the thermometer's stem after it has been inserted into a food product (such as the undercooked poultry mentioned above) and before using it again on another item. Otherwise you risk passing bacteria from one product to another, which is called "cross-contamination."
Safe Consumption Temperature Chart:
|
Food Type |
Recommended Internal Temperature |
|
Fresh beef (well done)
Fresh pork (well done) |
170 degrees F |
|
Poultry (chicken, turkey)
Leftover meats
Stuffing
Ground meats (chicken, turkey) |
165 degrees F |
|
Ground meats (beef, pork, veal, ham)
Pork, roast beef (medium)
Ham (fresh)
Eggs |
160 degrees F |
|
Roast beef (rare)
Fish |
145 degrees F |
Kitchen Safety:
The kitchen is a dangerous place. Not only are you working with hot surfaces, and boiling liquid, but you're handling sharp knives and utensils that can injure you in a second. So let's learn how to stay safe in the kitchen.
1. Keep Kids and Pets Out!
Children and pets do not belong in the kitchen. Unless the kids are helping you or learning how to cook, keep them out of the area. Not only can kids and pets be a distraction, but they can easily hurt themselves by getting into raw food, pulling hot pots down, and tripping you while you're carrying something heavy. When you want to teach your kids about cooking be sure to start with simple recipes that don't involve a lot of cutting, heat, or appliances. Don't hold a baby or child while you are cooking. And remember to teach children to respect the kitchen. It's not a place for horseplay or fighting.
2. Wear Shoes and Safe Clothing
Like Chandler in Friends, I once dropped a knife on my foot. I did need stitches, although I didn't actually sever my toe. From that day on, I learned that wearing shoes, good sturdy shoes, is essential to kitchen safety. Make sure you are wearing safe clothes too. Sleeves should not be long and flowy. Do not wear loose clothing or anything flammable, and avoid synthetic clothing, which can melt onto your skin if it catches on fire.
3. Don't Rush
Rushing around the kitchen will almost guarantee accidents. Unless you're a pro, cut food slowly, do not run from station to station, and take your time when moving hot pots and pans. Saving a few minutes here and there will be negated if you need to make a trip to the doctor's office. Also never try to bake or cook if you are under the influence of alcohol or medications, or are very sleepy.
4. Always Use Hot Pads
Keep a good selection of hot pads and oven mitts on hand. Always use them for any bowl, pot, or pan that has been in an appliance. It's especially important to use these items on bowls you are pulling out of the microwave oven. Even microwave-safe bowls can get quite hot, and it's easy to burn yourself. And if a hot pad or oven mitt gets wet, don't use it until it dries. A wet pad or cloth will easily transmit heat.
5. Stir Away From Your Body
Last year, I got a severe burn on my arm when I was stirring some pasta boiling away on the stove. Some of the water bubbled up and hit my hand, which jerked, sending a spoonful of boiling water onto my arm. This caused a second-degree burn. Now, when I stir pasta, I use a slotted spoon, and I position the spoon so the bowl is facing away from me. This way, if my hand does jerk again, I won't scoop boiling water toward myself. So, even though it's counter intuitive, hold the bowl of the spoon away from yourself when stirring something hot and boiling.
6. Learn how to Use Knives
Learn how to use a knife and treat them with respect. Knives should always be sharp. A dull knife can slip and cut. Learn how to chop and slice as chefs do, holding the food with your non-dominant hand, fingers curled under. Go slow until you are confident, and always pay attention.
7. Know Your Equipment and Handle it Properly
Read instructions that come with appliances and understand how to use them. Never use an appliance that has a frayed cord, and keep small appliances dry and away from water. And never use your fingers to release something caught in food processor blades or mixers. Be careful with the blades on food processors and blenders; they can be very sharp and can cut you if you just brush against them. Let appliances cool down before cleaning them. And don't use an appliance for a purpose for which it wasn't created.
8. Clean Up Spills Promptly
Cleaning up spills as you go not only helps save time when cleaning the kitchen, but will help prevent accidents. Water, food, and grease on the floor will almost guarantee a fall. Watch out for cooking sprays too. If they are sprayed on the floor, the surface will become very slippery. I always hold the pan I'm spraying over the sink so any over spray will not land on the floor.
9. Know Your Limits when Lifting
Lifting a hot pot of boiling pasta is one of the most dangerous of kitchen techniques. Think about getting a pasta cooker that consists of a strainer inserted into a larger pot. You just lift the pasta out of the water to drain it, instead of moving a heavy pot of boiling water from the stove to sink. Lift using your knees and back, and know your limits. Ask for help if you need to move or transfer something heavy.
10. Watch Out for Steam
Steam can burn just as easily as boiling liquid or a hot burner. Be especially careful around covered microwaved foods, and foods that have been cooked in packets. Open these packages away from your face, and remember to use hot pads. And when you lift a cover off a boiling pot, pull the cover toward you so you don't burn your hand with steam.
11. Learn how to Extinguish Fires
Always have a fire extinguisher handy in your kitchen, and be sure that you know how to use it before you need it. Know a little bit about different fires. Never try to extinguish grease and electric fires with water; baking soda or a pan cover work best. Smothering a fire by removing air is the best way to put most out. Use a pot cover, baking soda, or salt, not water. A fire in the microwave can be put out just by turning the appliance off and keeping the door closed. A fire in the oven should be extinguished with baking soda or a fire extinguisher. If you can't douse the fire in a few seconds, call the fire department. Fires can spread so quickly and can get out of control in minutes.
12. Be Careful Around Stove Burners
Always keep pot handles turned away from the front of the stove; it's too easy to accidentally brush against them and spill hot food on yourself. Never reach over a hot burner to another pan. Push back your sleeves when cooking food on the stove top. And keep pot covers handy to smother flames.
13. Don't Leave Food Unattended
Never leave the house when food is cooking or baking, except for a slow cooker. I put my slow cooker on my cool stove top just so it's on a heatproof surface. Food can quickly go from browning to burning to bursting into flame. If there are children or pets in your household, make sure an adult is in the kitchen at all times. Accidents happen in seconds.
14. Stop, Drop and Roll
Learn personal safety and fire safety. Nothing in the kitchen is a toy.
15. Keep a First Aid Kit in the Kitchen
Most people keep a first aid kit in the bathroom. One belongs in the kitchen as well. Make sure it's stocked with up-to-date equipment, including gauze, burn salve, scissors, and the phone number for your doctors and nearby hospitals.
-How to Wash Your Hands:
A proper hand washing routine is an essential measure for preventing cross-contamination and limiting the spread of bacteria that cause food poisoning. But what's the best way to wash your hands? It's not enough to simply splash some water on your hands and call them clean. To be safe, you really do need to take the time to do it right.
Here's How:
Rinse your hands under the hottest running water you can stand - at least 100°F. Soap up your hands - preferably using soap from a soap dispenser but bar soap is OK. The key is to generate a good lather. Use an anti-bacterial soap if possible. Scrub for at least 30 seconds, making sure to soap up your wrist and lower arm areas. Since you might be digging your fingers into ground meat or kneading dough, you should also clean under your fingernails. Keep a nail brush by your hand-washing sink, and use it. Rinse thoroughly, again, for at least 30 seconds but longer if that's what it takes to fully rinse off the soap.
Use a clean paper towel to turn off the faucet. Throw that towel away and use a new paper towel for the next step. Dry your hands using a clean paper towel - not a dishtowel or other cloth. Why? Dishtowels hang around the kitchen and get wiped on everything, making them the ideal vehicle for spreading bacteria from one kitchen tool or surface to another - or onto your freshly washed hands. Wash your hands after using the restroom, before and after touching raw food, after sneezing or coughing, after taking out the trash or using any type of cleaning product - or in a word, frequently. Don't use another body part, such as your upper arm or elbow, to shut off the faucet. You'll just contaminate your elbow that way. Use a clean paper towel, and throw it away afterward. Avoid, if possible, those hot-air hand dryers. They can sometimes harbor bacteria, which are then blown onto your nice clean hands. Not good. Don't go around with wet hands, either. Wet hands are more easily contaminated than dry ones.