Observing high hygiene levels at home while baking is vital as it grants food safety. Foods that are prepared while observing hygiene are safe for human consumption. Just like any other food, baked foods should also be clean and free from contamination.
If you maintain hygiene measures in your home as you bake, you will protect yourself and other members from foodborne diseases. In fact, your kitchen or bakery shouldn’t just be the only ones that are clean, but all the places in your home as well. We know it’s a very daunting task, but you can always hire others to do half of the cleaning tasks around the house, so you can concentrate more in your kitchen.
Sanitation tips to observe while home baking
Proper sanitation in cooking is not only required in bakeries, but also at homes. The following are essential tips that will help you avoid contaminating your foods while baking;
1. Observe high levels of personal hygiene
To meet this, you need to wash your hands and arms in the baking process regularly. You should also cover all cuts, if any, to prevent pathogens from the wounds from getting into the food. Proper food hygiene begins with personal sanitation; you can’t prepare clean meals if you are unhygienic.
2. Thorough sanitizing and cleaning of utensils and surfaces.
Home baking utensils and surfaces should be cleaned properly. Avoid using already used appliances without first cleaning them.
3. Proper sanitizing and cleaning of food equipment.
The equipment used in baking needs to be properly cleaned and stored correctly.
4. Good housekeeping and maintenance
It is no doubt that a clean and well-organized house is free from pathogens. But a dirty and disorganized one is prone to pests and other germ causing organisms. Therefore, a clean home is a guarantee to clean and safe foods.
5. Proper food storage
Proper storage of foods involves keeping them in clean containers and at the recommended temperatures. If you store your food in a dirty container, it will be contaminated. Likewise, keeping foods at extremely low or high temperatures then they are required. Chances of food spoiling are very high due to exposure to pathogens.
Home baking equipment and how to clean them
Proper baking sanitization depends on the cleanliness of the equipment. If the stuff is dirty, then food will be contaminated. Therefore, it is vital to know how to clean your home baking equipment to make them pathogen-free. It is crucial that in every cleaning you use mild soap and hot water.
Different baking tools requires a different cleaning approach, and it is essential to learn about them.
a. Rolling pin
Wooden rolling pins are necessary for any baking; these pins absorb oils and water hence season quickly.
How to wash
Use a plastic or wooden scraper to scrape the dough remains from the pin. Wipe the pin down using hot water and dry it with a towel. You should apply a mineral to the rolling pin as much as possible, depending on how much you use it.
Applying the mineral once or twice a month will increase its lifespan. To keep off bacteria and germs, prepare a mixture of bleach with water. Wipe down the mixture on the pin and leave it to dry in air.
However, do not wash the rolling pin with soap, as it has a high tendency of absorbing the chemicals, which is unhealthy.
b. Pastry brushes
These brushes have a large surface area in their bristles, and cleaning them can be somehow tricky.
How to wash
Use a dishwasher to clean these brushes as it removes oil and bad odor. In case you don’t have a dishwasher, use hot water and soap and wash it thoroughly. Rinse the brush with clean water and sanitize it by soaking it in a moderate bleach solution.
c. Baking stones
The stones are commonly affected by stains.
How to clean
Cleaning a baking stone is much easier; scrape off the dirt or debris. And finally, use hot water to wipe it down.
Importance of sanitation in home baking
Having looked at how to observe proper hygiene measures while baking at home and how to clean your equipment, it is vital to know what benefits come along with this sanitation.
Prevent foodborne diseases
Foodborne diseases originate from improper sanitation measures. If you don’t observe proper personal and overall hygiene, you will pave the way for bacteria to cause food spoilage. To get rid of such diseases, then you should properly sanitize your equipment before baking.
Regularly washing and sanitizing of the baking area and tools, will grant a clean environment for food. And the food will be free from pathogens causing microbes.
Increased life span to baking appliances
Dirt tends to reduce the life span of kitchen appliances. If you use the equipment and leave it without cleaning, it will wear out faster than required. Quick wear out will call for frequent replacements, which can be expensive.
So, regularly cleaning and sanitizing tools will not only give you a safe environment but also save on money.
Prevent cross-contamination
While home baking, you can easily confuse and accidentally mix different foodstuffs. For instance, if you keep raw foods together with cooked ones, your food will contaminate. Therefore, thoroughly sanitizing your foods before starting to bake will keep off contaminants.
Also, remember to clean your kitchen or home baker’s surfaces to get rid of contamination. Keep off dirty utensils from the baking surfaces too.
Minimize the use of chemicals
Just like any cooking, baking also can leave the home baker and other equipment dirty. And if the dirt is left on there for a long time, the kit will require the use of a chemical to clean them. These chemicals can be harsh and not suitable for human beings.
To avoid such extent, it is prudent to sanitize your home baker before and after use frequently.
Confident consumption of meals
Unhygienic environments can make people stop eating your foods. Can you consume a meal that you’ve seen that is prepared in unsanitary conditions? Probably no, nobody wants to take foods that are unhygienically made.
Some people can even neglect to eat because they have seen how dirty your kitchen is. Therefore, it means that you should always be hygienic, as nobody will want to get dirt or pests in foods.
Conclusion
Proper sanitation while baking or preparing food brings about food hygiene. Food hygiene starts with how the food is prepared. In this case, baked foods also need to be prepared under high hygiene measures. And this will guarantee you a healthy lifestyle free from diseases.