{"id":6769,"date":"2025-05-27T14:33:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T14:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/?p=6769"},"modified":"2025-07-30T12:43:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:43:59","slug":"how-to-store-your-food-safely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/how-to-store-your-food-safely\/","title":{"rendered":"How to store your food safely"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re here because you\u2019ve clicked a QR code in one of our recipe books, welcome!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This blog is all about food safety. And while it might not sound as glamorous as roaring the gas ring into life to sizzle up one of our delicious recipes, practicing good food safety is not-so-silly sausages.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From where you keep your food in the fridge to how you prep it, here are our simple tips and tricks, plus some surprising ones you might not know about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Food Safety 101: avoiding cross-contamination<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most common example of cross-contamination is when bacteria (like E.coli or salmonella) or other micro-organisms transfer from one object to another. For example when raw food, including meats, poultry, fish, game and shellfish comes into contact with:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">other ready-to-eat food (think leftovers, ready-to-eat meals, sauces, open bags of supermarket salads, uncovered cooked meats, etc)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cooking utensils<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cutlery<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your hands<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">kitchen surfaces (including plates).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By \u2018coming into contact\u2019 we basically mean when raw food touches or drips onto it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Example:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s chicken for tea. You\u2019ve opened the packet, chopped it and it\u2019s sizzling in the pan. You give your knife a quick wipe, flip the chopping board over and reach for the tomatoes for the salad. What harm can it do, right? This is how bacteria can spread which can cause food poisoning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s a quick food safety refresher on how to avoid it.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3><strong> Healthy hygiene tips for preparing food\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always use different utensils, plates, and chopping boards for raw and cooked food &#8211; we use colour-coded ones in our kitchen (like red for the meat and green for the veggies). It\u2019s simple but it works!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get washing &#8211; give all your knives and utensils, plates, countertops and chopping boards a really good clean in hot soapy water after every task and before beginning the next one &#8211; basically wash anything that comes into contact with the food<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NEVER wash raw meat &#8211; bacteria can quickly transfer onto a nearby surface\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your hands clean &#8211; always wash your hands after you touch any raw food and before you handle any other food. (Pssst &#8211; we don\u2019t just mean anti-bac gel!)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h3><strong> How to store food properly<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beeswax covers, cling film and kitchen foil are all your friend &#8211; ALWAYS cover raw or opens packets of raw food, including meat<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prevent spillages by storing raw food in appropriate containers (we use a dish with a lip, just in case someone has butterfingers)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>\n<h3><strong> Where to store your food<\/strong><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"111\" data-end=\"389\">Before putting away the food from your Mindful Chef box, please check the ice packs in your Chill Box. If they\u2019re warm and completely melted when you unpack, do not consume any of the contents. Instead, scan the QR code on the lid to report the issue right away.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"391\" data-end=\"702\">To help keep your salads, fruits, and veggies fresh for longer, pop the paper Kraft bags into the fridge. But before you do, open them up and take a quick look inside. Remove any tins, cartons, or other bulky items that don\u2019t need chilling,\u00a0they can take up space and may squash delicate ingredients.<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Working from the highest shelf to the lowest:<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pop snacks on the highest shelf in your fridge<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, goes any pre-cooked food including cooked meats, fresh sauces, fresh pastas and our Ready to Go chilled range<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any covered raw meats, poultry, fish and shellfish should ALWAYS go on the bottom shelf of your fridge (if your fridge has drawers,we\u2019re talking about the shelf before those)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salad drawers &#8211; separate your fruits from your veggies because they like it that way<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We don\u2019t need to tell you what goes in your fridge doors.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that\u2019s it. It\u2019s not rocket science but in this case, a little bit of prep goes a long, long way and helps in having a safe and healthy kitchen.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.food.gov.uk\/safety-hygiene\/avoiding-cross-contamination\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.food.gov.uk\/safety-hygiene\/avoiding-cross-contamination<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re here because you\u2019ve clicked a QR code in one of our recipe books, welcome!\u00a0 This blog is all about food safety. And while it might not sound as glamorous as roaring the gas ring into life to sizzle up one of our delicious recipes, practicing good food safety is not-so-silly sausages.\u00a0From where you&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/how-to-store-your-food-safely\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":6775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[286],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthy-lifestyle","8":"entry"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16.jpg",800,510,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-300x191.jpg",300,191,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-768x490.jpg",720,459,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16.jpg",720,459,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16.jpg",800,510,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16.jpg",800,510,false],"horizontal-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-720x450.jpg",720,450,true],"horizontal-thumbnail-small":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-360x225.jpg",360,225,true],"vertical-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-720x510.jpg",720,510,true],"vertical-thumbnail-small":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-360x450.jpg",360,450,true],"square-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ben-Fogle-MC-31-3-21-Veg-washing-16-360x361.jpg",360,361,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Becca","author_link":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/author\/becca\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"If you\u2019re here because you\u2019ve clicked a QR code in one of our recipe books, welcome!\u00a0 This blog is all about food safety. And while it might not sound as glamorous as roaring the gas ring into life to sizzle up one of our delicious recipes, practicing good food safety is not-so-silly sausages.\u00a0From where you...Read&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6769"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6829,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6769\/revisions\/6829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}