Top tips for a five-star hygiene rating in your kitchen

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With the hygiene ratings of Eastbourne’s eateries revealed, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has some advise for keeping your kitchen at a five-star standard.

The FSA said there are more than a million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year.

Here are its top tips for a five-star kitchen.

Cleaning

- Hands are one of the main ways in which germs are spread. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before cooking and after touching the bin, going to the toilet, handling pets or handling raw food.

- Wash or change dish cloths, tea towels, sponges and oven gloves regularly and let them dry before you use them again. Dirty, damp cloths are the perfect place for bacteria to breed.

Cross contamination

- Cross contamination occurs when harmful germs are spread between food, surfaces and equipment. Help to prevent this by removing clutter that you don’t need and washing worktops before and after cooking.

- Always use a chopping board. Wash the board and other utensils in hot, soapy water when you’ve finished using them and in between preparing raw foods (meat, poultry, eggs, fish and raw vegetables) and ready-to-eat food. Better still, use a separate chopping board for each.

Chilling

- Make sure your fridge is set below 5°C, using a fridge thermometer to check. This is to prevent harmful germs from growing and multiplying.