9 common bad habits in the kitchen that will harm your health

1. The kitchen environment is both dirty and messy

The items stacked in the kitchen are not classified, very easy to produce dust, also easy to become a shelter for mice, disease-causing insects. Moreover, this also makes it difficult for you to find something. Therefore, using cabinets to classify furniture and items in the kitchen is very important.

In addition, we need to clean the kitchen regularly, especially the kitchen surface and the utensils used for cooking. After each cooking session, you need to clean the cooking utensils and wipe them immediately.

2. Not cleaning the sink regularly

Every day people wash dishes, raw food, and pots and pans in the sink. Over time, dirt builds up around the sink, sometimes even dirtier than the toilet. If you wash food in the sink, it is equivalent to bringing bacteria into the food.

3. Using an unclean towel

Although simple towels are used to dry dishes, towels must be washed and dried after use. Otherwise, dishes are easily contaminated with bacteria from the towels stuck on the dishes, it is best to buy a dish dryer.

4. Using the same utensils for raw and cooked food

Sharing kitchen utensils such as cutting boards, baskets, knives, scissors, etc. for both raw and cooked foods is very dangerous. Raw foods always contain many bacteria and parasites, and they are only destroyed when cooked. Sharing raw and cooked foods can cause bacteria to stick to the food, and the body that consumes it will be infected with many diseases.

5. Using a gas stove without turning on the range hood

A recent study published in the American Health Journal found that using a gas stove without ventilation will lead to excess carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde in the home. These are three common toxins found in cigarette smoke. Experts recommend using a smoke extractor when using a gas stove for cooking, which can reduce 60% to 90% of toxic pollutants.

6. Not cleaning cutting boards and knives before use

Before each time you prepare food, you should wash your knives and cutting boards because these tools can collect dirt, bacteria, and mold even after being washed and hung in a dry place. This simple habit will help prevent dozens of bacteria from attacking the body.

7. Leaving food out for too long

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the longer food is exposed to the temperature danger zone, the greater the risk of illness. The optimal method of preservation is to keep hot foods hot (60 degrees Celsius or higher) and cold foods cold (4 degrees Celsius or lower). Without proper preservation conditions, food is only safe to eat within two hours of cooking.

8. Plastic food containers

To make flexible plastic containers, some manufacturers add special chemicals that can cause serious health problems. Therefore, storing food in plastic containers is an unhealthy habit that you should give up soon.

9. Forgetting to wash your hands when cooking

Hand washing is an extremely important principle when starting to cook. Not washing your hands properly when cooking will directly affect our health. Because the hands are in contact with the most food, especially raw food and dishes when we cook. It causes pathogens such as bacteria and dirt to fall into the food, the body will be very susceptible to disease if eating these foods.