5 things in the kitchen that need to be replaced regularly
Marianne Gravely, a senior technical information specialist at the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), shares 5 things in the kitchen that should be thrown away to protect family health, according to Time.
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| Get rid of cutting boards with cracks. Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK |
Sponge
You might microwave or boil it to remove germs from your kitchen sponge, but as Gravely notes, studies show that the holes in the sponge will still contain germs no matter how you remove it.
The USDA recommends replacing sponges regularly, and also recommends using a cloth instead of a sponge to wipe tables or wash dishes.
Spices that have expired or have not been used for a long time since opening
Sometimes we buy sauce for a dish and never use it again. But if we suddenly need to use it, whether it is expired or not, we should throw it away.
Cutting board
If your plastic or wooden cutting board has a lot of cracks, it's time to throw it away. Bacteria love to live in the deep grooves, and it's hard to clean them when they're full of bacteria.
Non-stick pan
Gravely points out that when a nonstick pan has deep scratches, it is no longer nonstick. Teflon coatings can be a problem, because when they get too hot, they give off fumes that, when inhaled, can cause flu-like symptoms.
Meat smells
If you can smell the meat even through the packaging, or it smells bad within minutes of being out of the packaging, throw it away immediately because it has spoiled and could be harmful to your health if you try to eat it.
