Cooking food properly will help make sure that any harmful bacteria are killed. Eating food that isn't properly cooked could make you ill.

Making sure food is hot enough

To test if food has been properly cooked, check that it is 'piping hot' all the way through. This means that it is hot enough for steam to come out.

Cut open the food with a small knife so that you can check that it is piping hot in the middle. Generally, if food is piping hot in the middle, then it will be piping hot all the way through. But if you're cooking a very large dish, you might need to check it in more than one place, because some parts of the dish may be less hot than others.

Some foods change colour when they are cooked. Looking at colour is especially useful for checking meat.

Checking if meat has been properly cooked

It's very important to make sure poultry, burgers, sausages, kebabs and rolled joints are properly cooked all the way through.

If you are checking a burger, chicken portion or sausage, cut into the middle and check there is no pink meat left. The meat should also be piping hot in the middle.

If you're checking a whole chicken or other bird, pierce the thickest part of the leg (between drumstick and thigh) with a clean knife or skewer until the juices run out. The juices shouldn't have any pink or red in them.

If you're checking a rolled joint, put a skewer into the centre of the joint. If the joint is properly cooked, the juices shouldn't have any pink or red in them.

Rare meat

It's fine to eat steaks and other whole cuts of meat rare, as long as they have been properly 'sealed'. Steaks are usually sealed in a frying pan over a high heat.

It's important to seal meat to kill any bacteria that might be on the outside. You can tell that a piece of meat has been properly sealed because all the outside will have changed colour.

It's OK to serve joints rare too, as long as the joint is a single piece of meat, not a rolled joint (made from different pieces of meat rolled together).

But you shouldn't eat these types of meat rare:
poultry
burgers, sausages, chicken nuggets
kebabs
This is because these types of meat can have bacteria all the way through them. So if they aren't properly cooked then any bacteria in the meat might not be killed.

Leftovers

If you have cooked food that you aren't going to eat straight away, cool it as quickly as possible (ideally within one to two hours) and then store it in the fridge. Don't keep leftovers for longer than two days.

When you reheat food, make sure that it's piping hot all the way through. If the food is only warm it might not be safe to eat. Don't reheat food more than once.

Aluminium pans

It’s best not to use aluminium pans, baking trays and foil, or other cookware made of aluminium, to cook foods that are highly acidic, such as:
• Tomatoes
• Rhubarb
• Cabbage
• Many soft fruits
This is because aluminium can affect the taste of these sorts of food.

One study found that about 20% of aluminium in the diet comes from people using aluminium cookware and foil. But other studies have shown that using aluminium cookware contributes little to the amount of aluminium we take in through our food

Worktops

It's very important to keep worktops and chopping boards clean because they touch the food you are going to eat. If they aren't properly clean, bacteria could spread to food and make you ill.
Always wash worktops before you start preparing food. Wipe up any spilt food straight away.
Always wash worktops thoroughly after they have been touched by raw meat, including poultry, or raw eggs.
Never put ready-to-eat food, such as salad, bread or fruit, on a worktop or chopping board that has been touched by raw meat, unless you have washed it thoroughly first.
If you have a dishwasher, this is a very effective way to clean plastic chopping boards. Dishwashers can wash at a very high temperature, which kills bacteria. Otherwise, wash chopping boards thoroughly with hot water and washing-up liquid.

Ideally, it's better to have separate chopping boards for raw meat and for ready-to-eat food.

Cloths

Dirty, damp cloths are the perfect place for bacteria to breed. So it's very important to wash kitchen cloths and sponges regularly and leave them to dry before using them again.

Ideally, try to keep different cloths for different jobs. For example, use one cloth to wipe worktops and another to wash dishes. This helps to stop bacteria spreading.

If you want to choose the safest option, you could use disposable kitchen towel to wipe worktops and chopping boards. This is because you throw the kitchen towel away after using it once, so it is less likely to spread bacteria than cloths you use again.

Tea towels can also spread bacteria, so it's important to wash them regularly and be careful how you use them. Remember, if you wipe your hands on a tea towel after you have touched raw meat, this will spread bacteria to the towel. Then, if you use the tea towel to dry a plate, the bacteria will spread to the plate.

Knives, spoons and other utensils

It's important to keep knives, wooden spoons, spatulas, tongs, etc. clean to help stop bacteria spreading to food. It's especially important to wash them thoroughly after using them with raw meat, because therwise they could spread bacteria to other food.

If you have a dishwasher, this is a very effective way to clean knives and other utensils because dishwashers can wash at a very high temperature, which kills bacteria. Otherwise, wash them thoroughly with hot water and washing-up liquid.

Hands

It's very easy for hands to spread bacteria all round the kitchen, because we touch so many things, from food to fridge handles, towels to can openers. So to keep your kitchen clean you need to keep your hands clean.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water at each of these times:
before starting to prepare food
After touching raw meat, including poultry
After going to the toilet
After touching the bin
After touching pets
Dry your hands thoroughly, because if they are wet they will spread bacteria more easily. The safest option is to use disposable kitchen towels, otherwise use a towel that you only use for drying hands — not your apron or a tea towel.