Food safety gifts
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EmailWhen registering for gifts or purchasing items on your own, don’t forget important food safety items every kitchen should have.
Shopping for a bridal shower gift or perhaps helping someone stock their first apartment? It is easy to get caught up in decorations, gadgets and the excitement of filling the cupboards and drawers with necessities. While you may be registering for those gifts or purchasing items on your own, don’t forget about some important food safety items every kitchen should have. Consider putting together a food safety kit for the person setting up housekeeping.
Michigan State University Extension suggests these items to keep food safe:
- Food Thermometers – these tools are needed to check internal temperatures to ensure food is safe to eat. It is not recommended to rely on color to determine doneness of food.
- Refrigerator/freezer thermometers – in the event of a power outage, these tools are important to determine if your cooling and freezing units have stayed cold enough to keep your foods safe.
- Slow cooker and insulated containers – when transporting foods, these devices are very important to keep hot foods hot (140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) so bacteria cannot grow.
- Coolers and gel packs – these devices will keep cold foods cold during transportation (40 F or cooler).
- Kitchen towels – an assortment of towels is as important as frequent washing. Don’t spread bacteria.
- Knives and cutting boards – avoid cross-contamination, have a variety of knives and cutting boards to keep raw meat and poultry separate from produce.
- Sealed containers – whether zippered bags or containers a variety is helpful to prevent cross-contamination when transporting raw meat and poultry. A variety of containers is also helpful for storage in the refrigerator.
Think out of the box when it comes to showers and house warming gifts. Provide some food safety tools to help friends and family started on the right path. It also doesn’t hurt to share the Michigan State University Extension website, where a person starting out can find many resources, from food safety to food preservation and more.
