Friday, August 14, 2015

Guest Blogger: Kitchen Cleaning Tips for Germ-Free Cooking by Kaitlin Krull



Kitchen Cleaning Tips for Germ-Free Cooking
Kaitlin Krull
 
For many of us, preparing a tasty, home-cooked meal in the comfort of our own kitchen is absolute bliss. Keeping the kitchen clean, on the other hand, is not. If, like us at Modernize, you’re concerned about keeping your house clean and beautiful, then check out these cleaning tips for a germ-free kitchen.
 
Food preparation
Always wash hands after touching raw meat. Use paper towels while cooking with raw meats rather than dish towels to avoid contamination and the spread of harmful bacteria.
 
Use glass or plastic cutting boards, or replace old wooden ones often as bacteria gets trapped inside grooves and cracks (and most can’t be washed in the dishwasher). Even better, use different boards for different kinds of food prep to avoid cross contamination.
 
Do not rinse raw meats before cooking! The bacteria dispersed during splashback far outweighs any bacteria you may be removing from the surface of the meat, which gets cooked off anyway, and you are not making the meat taste better.
 


via Modernize
 
Cleaning up
After preparing food, disinfect surfaces thoroughly with antibacterial wipes or sprays. Don’t forget cupboard handles, light switches, and door knobs, or anywhere else you might have touched while cooking.
 
Remember that bleach is your friend. Chopping boards, sponges, sinks, and anywhere salmonella and other bacteria tend to linger can be sprayed with, soaked in, or scrubbed with a mixture of bleach and water. Just make sure to protect your hands and clothes!
 
Make sure to wash dish towels and sponges regularly. You’d be amazed at the amount of bacteria your cleaning accessories can accumulate in a short amount of time.
 
Did you know that knife blocks can get moldy? Save yourself from this grossest of kitchen fates by completely drying knives after washing, or storing them on magnetic strips instead of blocks.
 
When washing dishes, use a dishwasher when possible (as it runs at a higher temperature than hand washing) or hand wash dishes thoroughly with dish soap and the hottest water you can tolerate, starting with the cleanest items to avoid dirtying your water too early.
 

via Modernize
 
Storage
When storing leftovers, make sure to cool them to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze them within one to two hours of cooking. If you put hot food into your fridge and freezer you run the risk of raising their internal temperature and damaging other food stored inside.
 
Speaking of refrigeration, keep track of your fridge and freezer temperatures. Keep fridges between 37° and 40° Fahrenheit (3°-5°Celsius) and freezers below 0°Fahrenheit (-18° Celsius). Don’t forget to clean your refrigerator coils regularly to keep the temperatures steady and your appliances working as well as they should.
 

via Modernize

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Orchard Choice "Feed Us Figs" Campaign

Orchard Choice "Feed Us Figs" Campaign
 
 
 
Thanks to both Kitchen Play and Orchard Choice I have been chosen as one of the lucky food bloggers to receive Orchard Choice fig products and to share some of my favorite recipe creations using them with you!!!
 
And not only was I given this tasty opportunity, but you as my readers have an exciting opportunity as well. Enter the Cook's Country contest by posting your favorite fig recipes to Instagram and hashtag them with #VFigFeed and tag them with @valleyfig. You and your readers can have the chance to win an exclusive trip for two to the live audience tasting segment during the filming of season 9 of Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen in Vermont on September 22. (Please visit https://www.facebook.com/ValleyFig/app_181518015386164 for full program details)
 
Here are some of the fig-licious recipes I put together...
 
 
Organic Mission Fig Phyllo Prosciutto Asparagus & Goat Cheese Wraps
Smear Orchard Choice Organic Mission Fig spread onto the center of two sheets phyllo

 
Wrap asparagus spears with a piece of prosciutto

 
Place prosciutto wrapped asparagus on top of the fig spread along with goat cheese crumbles

 
Roll until sealed, brush with olive oil and back until golden crisp
 
 
Orchard Choice Balsamic Pepper Fig Prosciutto Egg & Goat Cheese Bagel Sandwich
 
 
On a toasted onion bagel smear Orchard Choice Balsamic Pepper Fig spread on top slice, goat cheese on bottom slice and place slightly crisp prosciutto and sunny side egg in between
 
 
For more information about these fig-tastic products visit: http://www.valleyfig.com/ 

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