Safe Food Preparation
There are many ways food can be prepared. How safely food is handled during preparation can make or break a tasty meal. Keep these tips in mind.
The Problem with Raw Flour
Do you find it hard to resist gobbling up a piece of raw dough when making cookies, or letting your children scrape the bowl? Do your kids use raw dough to make ornaments or homemade "play" clay? Do you eat at family restaurants that give kids raw dough to play with while you're waiting for the food?
If your answer to any of those questions is yes, that could be a problem. Eating raw dough or batter—whether it's for bread, cookies, pizza or tortillas—could make you, and your kids, sick.
- K-State researchers seeking ways to protect flour - K-State Research & Extension
- Raw Flour and Dough - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Flour is a Raw Food and Other Safety Facts - Food and Drug Administration
- Baking Food Safety - Home Baking Association
- Homemade playdough - Iowa State University
- Raw Oat Safety - Ohio State University Extension
Quantity Food Preparation
Social functions are a great way to get family and friends together. Typically, at these functions, food is served to many people. Food safety is important to prevent family and friends from becoming ill. See the references below to prepare a safe meal.
- DIY Weddings and Food Safety
- Volunteer Quantity Cooking, Leader's Guide
- Volunteer Quantity Cooking, Fact Sheet
- Cooking for Groups: A Volunteer's Guide to Food Safety - USDA
- 7 Food Safety Steps for Successful Community Meals - USDA
Mail Order Food Safety
All of us enjoy receiving gifts in the mail. Food is a popular gift to give. Some foods, however, are safer than others to send in the mail. Refer to these tips to safely mail your next food package to those you love.
- Mail Order Food Safety - USDA