Don t let hot foods cool at room temperature use a shallow pan on the top rack of the refrigerator. Hot foods should be cooled to 40 F within 2 hours. Don t thaw frozen foods at room temperature . Always thaw frozen foods on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator, in the microwave or under cold, running water in less than an hour . Use different cutting boards for raw foods.
Any surface touched by raw animal foods can transfer deadly bacteria, parasites and viruses.
Use a red cutting board only for raw animal foods to avoid cross contamination. Poor hygiene, such as not washing hands after touching raw foods, using the toilet, smoking, coughing or touching any contaminated surfaces, is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, sliced melons, rice, beans, tofu and sprouts are all very susceptible to rapid bacteria growth before and after cooking. Cook all food thoroughly . All animal foods should be cooked to at least 170 F to kill bacteria, parasites and viruses which cause foodborne illness.