The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where we catch up with the kids, gather with friends, and cook nutritious meals. So, when it isn’t clean and germ-free, you may find it impacting your overall outlook on your home — and the world. In a time when we need to be more health-conscious, finding ways to lead healthier lifestyles without compromising on time should be a top priority.
There are so many simple changes you can make to lead a more hygienic life, and we’ll share a few easy tips to get the process started. Here are 5 tips for a more hygienic kitchen.
Also read: Decluttering Tips to Tackle the 5 Common Problem Areas in Your Home
Wash your hands
Before you start touching surfaces and working with food, wash your hands properly with sanitising soap. This prevents germs from spreading from your hands onto the kitchen counters and onto the food you choose to eat. It’s also worth mentioning that if you change cooking stations or move to a different part of the kitchen, you should wash your hands again before switching.
Wipe down the counters
Any surface that you’re planning to work on while in the kitchen needs to be cleaned thoroughly before and after preparing meals. This gets rid of any germs that may have made their way onto the surface between mealtimes, and prevents germs from accumulating on surfaces. Like with the first step, if you move to a different part of the kitchen while you’re cooking, remember to wipe down that surface before you begin your next phase of chopping or marinating.
On the topic of wiping surfaces, don’t forget to clean your chopping boards! Old fashioned soap works well on plastic boards, while lemon and salt are effective when cleaning wooden boards.
Clean your fruits and veggies
This one is a bit more complicated in that you should not wash your veggies before putting them in the fridge, but rather just before you’re about to eat or prepare them. Washing them long before cooking means they lose nutritional value, and they won’t last as long. So, to protect fresh produce – and your family’s health – wait a bit before running them under the tap.
If food hygiene is super important to you, then consider investing in a new fridge like the LG InstaView Door in Door Refrigerator. This smart fridge features a HygieneFresh air filtration system that purifies the air and eliminates unpleasant odours inside your fridge. It’s the perfect kitchen partner if you want to increase the lifespan of your fresh produce. The fridge also boasts Linear Cooling, Door Cooling and, Multi Air Flow technology to reduce temperature fluctuations and ensure the contents of your fridge stay cool and fresh for longer.
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Keep raw foods cool
Raw food like meat and fish needs to be kept cool and in a temperature-controlled space. When preparing meat, only take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking, so it can stay chilled for as long as possible. Sudden temperature changes, as well as exposure to heat, can really impact the quality of your fresh produce and lead to spoiling.
Don’t let dirty dishes pile up
A pile of dirty dishes is an obvious germ playground. So, instead of letting them spread out in the scullery, clean up as soon as you go along. Not only is it a healthy habit to create, but it will also save on wash-up time after supper. And don’t forget the taps! Germs can collect in these spots and end up in your drinking water. No one wants that.
A more hygienic kitchen doesn’t mean you need to completely reimagine the way you do things. Instead, it’s about making small habitual changes that, after a while, you won’t even be aware of. And, with the right appliances, some of the heavy lifting will get done for you. As we head into the peak summer months, don’t let germs take over your kitchen.
