Cooking is great. It brings families together, it’s healthy, and it’s also cheap.
However, the kitchen can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. That’s why we need to pay close attention to how we handle raw meat and the equipment we use.
The Public Health Malaysia Facebook page reminds us that the chopping boards that come into contact with our food, whether in our own kitchen or at any of our favourite restaurants, might be making us sick, especially if they have scratches, stains, and fungus.
Lihatlah papan pemotong yang ada di rumah anda dan di kedai kedai makan.Adakah ia telah calar balar, berdaki dan telah…
Posted by Public Health Malaysia on Saturday, April 13, 2019
Chopping boards are gross!
We might overlook this, but your chopping board might be one of the major causes of food poisoning, making you suffer diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach ache, and more.
According to research, as quoted by Public Health Malaysia, one square centimetre can contain more than 24,000 bacteria. This is actually 200 times more bacteria than your toilet seat! Ewww!
Although these old chopping boards are unsafe and unsanitary, most of us will still use them without any worries.
Source: Arts On Earth
The nooks, crannies, and scratches on the chopping board are the favourite homes for bacterias like Salmonella, E. Coli and more! And you can’t clean them out usually, the grooves made by chopping are so deep that regular washing can’t get them out.
Also if you think that having loose stools are nothing to worry about, 8% of salmonella infections lead to meningitis and E. Coli has been linked to cancer!
How do you prevent this?
To keep your chopping boards clean, use separate boards for raw meat and vegetables. If not, the bacteria from the chicken will get transferred to your fresh fruits and vegetables.
Make sure you don’t mix the utensils you use to prepare raw meat and vegetables as well to prevent cross-contamination.
So what’s the condition of your chopping board? If it’s terrible, there are ways to clean and refurbish them, but we suggest that you replace the boards altogether, just to be safe.
Also read: Angry Students Expose M’sian Uni For Having Dirty Cafeteria Infested by Disgusting Pests
