Food should be covered, and kept separate from chemicals and poisons (which should be clearly labelled).
Food storage, preparation and serving areas should be free of pets, rats, mice and insects.All surfaces that come into contact with food should be meticulously clean (Figure 10.1).All dishes, glasses and utensils must be kept clean by regular washing in clean water, and clean utensils should be kept covered.All water used in food preparation should be wholesome.There are other general principles for preventing food contamination:
People who have skin infections, diarrhoea or sore throats should avoid handling food. They should always wash their hands before starting to prepare food, and after every interruption, particularly after using the toilet.
Almost all vegetables and some fruits require blanching by immersion in hot water or steam this process serves as an additional or final cleansing operation.Cleaning usually involves passing the raw food through tanks of water or under high-pressure water sprays, after which vegetable or other product is cut, peeled, cored, sliced, graded, soaked, and pureed, and so on.The canning process itself consists of several stages: Why canning?Ġ1.Suitable for high and low acidic foodsĠ3. This vacuum seal prevents air from getting back into the product bringing with it contaminating micro-organisms. During this heating process air is driven out of the jar and as it cools a vacuum seal is formed. A pressure cooker does not have adequate room for both the canning jars and the water needed to create the right amount of pressure to preserve foods.” What is canning?Ĭanning is a preservation method that involves placing foods in jars or similar containers and heating them to a temperature that destroys micro-organisms that cause food to spoil. “Don’t confuse a pressure canner with a pressure cooker, which is used to cook food quickly.