Use separate utensils for ready-to-eat food and non ready-to-eat food

Use separate utensils for ready to eat food and non ready-to-eat food

Preparation and consumption of food involves the use of kitchen and table utensils. Cutting boards, knives, saucepans, are used when preparing the food while chopsticks, tablespoons, forks, plates and bowls, are used for serving. Proper use and cleaning of them can reduce the risk of food contamination.

How do you use your utensils for food preparation? How often do you clean them? Let's answer the following questions and check whether you are doing right.


	If you have to cut up a piece of raw meat and a cooked chicken, what will you do?
	Cut the raw meat up first, then clean the knife and cutting board thoroughly before cutting up the cooked chicken. Cut the cooked chicken up first, then clean the knife and cutting board thoroughly before cutting up the raw meat. Cut the raw meat and cooked chicken up with separate knives and cutting boards.
	If there are two sets of cutting boards and knives, say set A and set B, how will you handle the following food items with the two sets of utensils?
	Set A: raw beef, raw vegetable for salad and raw salmon for sashimi Set B: cooked chicken and fruit Set A: raw beef Set B: raw vegetable for salad, raw salmon for sashimi, cooked chicken and fruit Set A: raw beef, raw salmon for sashimi and cooked chicken Set B: raw vegetable for salad and fruit
	How often do you wash the cutting boards and knives thoroughly?
	After use only. Both before and after use. Both before and after use, and after preparing different foods.
	How many pairs of chopsticks should be used when having hotpots?
	1 2 3

Do you use your kitchen utensils for food preparation correctly? Let's go through the main points:

Two sets of knives and cutting boards for preparing ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and non-RTE foods should be kept in the kitchen. The most effective way to eliminate cross contamination is to use separate utensils for RTE foods and non-RTE foods. If only one set of cutting board and knife is available, the RTE foods should be handled first and non-RTE foods should be handled after thorough cleaning of the cutting board and knife. This can prevent cross contamination of cooked foods.
Some raw foods, such as salmon and vegetables, can be consumed raw after thorough cleaning. They are classified as RTE foods and should be handled separately from non-RTE foods.
All cutting boards and knives should be cleaned before and after use, and after preparing different foods.
When having hotpots, two sets of utensils should be provided for handling RTE foods and non-RTE foods.