Home Handling Tips
- Wash First: Thoroughly wash all fruits & vegetables before cooking or
eating. Dirt, insects, pesticides & handling unwrapped produce may
cause cross-contamination.
Temperature Check: To control bacteria, the temperature of your
refrigerator should be below 40 F or below & your freezer temperature
should be 0 F.
- Label Check: Always check labels on frozen foods for preparation & serving
instructions. Unless otherwise stated, do not re-freeze.
- How Do You Stack Up: To prevent contemination. always place cooked
food above raw food items in your refrigerator. Be sure food is covered
so particles from the shelves above do not fall into the foods below.
- Clean Counter Tops: Wash, Rinse, Sanitize: Before you begin your food preparation on any
surface, first clean with hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then properly
sanitize. (You may use household bleach as a sanitizer; add two teaspoons
of bleach per quart of water).
- Wash/Cross Contamination: Cutting boards & knives should be cleaned
& sanitized after each use. Be sure not to carve cooked food with a
knife or on a cutting board used for raw food, without proper cleaning.
Never use the same plate to carry raw food to the barbeque grill that you
use to carry the prepared food back to the kitchen.
- You Can Do: Always clean & sanitize your can opener after every use.
Look for nicks in your cutting wheel -- as they may cause slivers of metal
to fall into food.
- Thawing: Never thaw frozen food at room temperature. Either thaw in your
refrigerator or under cold water, (never hot water). Plan ahead - a 20
lb. turkey may take as long as four days.
- Glass Containers: When opening a glass container, check for chips
& possible cracks. It is possiblethat chips around the lid area may
have fallen into the product.
- Are You Managing Your Pantry?: Questions to ask yourself about your home pantry.
* Do you date your purchases & rotate your products? * Are you storing
non-food products in your pantry, products such as insecticides or other
toxins? * Are non-food products stored above your food products? * Do you
clean your pantry & inspect for insects on a regular basis? * Do you
have an age problem due to impulse purchases, such as puddings and deserts,
etc?
- Use-By Dates: A use-by date is intended to tell how long the product will retain
eating quality after you buy it.
- Sell by Dates: A sell-by dates tells the grocer & the consumer how long
the product may be kept on the shelf for sale.
- Marinate in Glass or Plastic: Marinades contain acid, and the process may take
hours. Use a tray or bowl that won't be affected by acid. Avoid metal pans.
- Marinate in the Refrigerator: While the acid in some marinades may slow down
the bacterial growth, it won't stop it.
Information provided by Excel Corporation.
If you have any questions about Needham,
Inc. or to obtain samples of products, please call:
William Needham or Ann Nelson
(402)344-3820
Fax:(402)342-5567
William Needham - President
Rich Needham - Vice President
Ann Nelson - Account Executive
Jerry Owens - Research & Development
billneedham@classic.msn.com