Handle with Care....uh

Okie-dokie...so I had started a post about a week ago and then just lost focus on what I wanted to say.  Typical these days...more brain f**ts than ever before.  So I just sat on the post, so to speak, deciding which direction I was going to go (think Scarecrow...Dorothy...yellow brick road...). 

Originally I wanted to say something about avoiding cross-contamination (why you ask? well last week I was watching the Pioneer Woman handle raw chicken to start with...and I can be fanatical about cleanliness when handling chicken...don't know where the fear comes from...)  I think this is a good start so I begin typing, blah blah blah, and go off on several tangents and realize I am blathering (uh kinda like right now).  Anyway I've decided since I can't seem to tie in uncooked poultry to my other ideas I am going to say my peace about it so my mind can MOVE ON:

1. Use a separate cutting surface for raw meat/poultry.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly (soap and warm water) and for a good amount of time (hum the "Happy Birthday" song, the Star Spangled Banner, a chorus from California Girls, whateva) to ensure cleanliness OR just use latex gloves...word of caution when you are singing cause if you sing too loud your family or neighbors might think you are a little "koo-koo" or practicing to try out for Idol or the Voice.
3. Use separate  knives or cooking utensils when handling or preparing raw meat/poultry and vegetables; or wash the utensils thoroughly with soap and hot water between uses while cooking.
4. Clean any spice jars, bottles, or other containers if you do happen to touch them if you have handled raw meat/poultry; **if you use those little bowls of salt and pepper (I do) like celebrity chefs use, NEVER, EVER put your fingers in the bowls if you have touched raw meat/poultry.

TIP: I like to put all of my spices on a plate before I start cutting up meat/poultry to avoid touching jars or bottles with dirty fingers...remember mis-en-place (there's that French phrase again).

Allright so I think I've gotten my point across enough that I will be able to focus on other ways to handle life with care.

 

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Oh lord-y...brain f**ting again!  I have lost my train of thought as I am rereading this post.  I. am. getting. out. of. here. uh fast.  Just gonna post this so my gray matter can move it move it.

"After all...tomorrow is another day" (another reference to a 1939 movie...cue Scarlett...drama...oy)