5 tips for safer food preparation at home.

As a food hygiene tutor I am passionate about creating awareness for safer food preparation both at home and in the workplace. With some simple do’s and don’ts you can avoid a trip to the hospital and learn how to create a safer environment for you to make your food.

Today my 5 tips are aimed toward using the microwave.

Microwaves

Over 90% of food poising cases occur at home, one of the contributing factors to this is improper use of the microwave. The heating of food in the microwave is a cause of major concern in Ireland.

1.Read

Read the instructions on the packet. This is the first and most important step. We need to know whether the food needs to be cooked completely or just reheated, whether it can be cooked in a microwave or needs a conventional oven, cooking time and wattage. (generally your wattage is displayed on your microwave, if not consult the manual.)

2.Heat

To make best use of the microwave and to heat the food properly and evenly, heat your food in short bursts. For instance if the packet says 4 mins, put in for 2.

3.Stir

Make sure to take the product out and stir it thouroughly.

4.Continue heating

Put the product back in for the rest of the time needed.

5.Let it stand

Once the product is thouroughly heated through, leave it stand for 1 minute before consuming.