7 cooking habits that can be dangerous

Cooking at home has many benefits. Research shows that eating home-cooked food more often helps you meet all your dietary needs. However, it is very important to follow certain rules to keep your food safe.

We decided to dive deeper and find out what common mistakes we all make while cooking.

Dangerous bacteria cannot be recognized either by appearance or by taste. However, even small amounts of these bacteria can lead to serious food poisoning. To avoid this, throw away any food if you have any doubt that it might be spoiled.

7 PHOTOS

1. Defrost meat outside the refrigerator.

The temperature range considered risky for food storage is between 5°C and 60°C. At this temperature, harmful food bacteria can grow rapidly. This is why you should always defrost meat in the refrigerator or microwave.

2. Washing raw meat.

Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking is not recommended by experts. The reason for this is that bacteria from meat can easily spread to other foods, surfaces, and utensils.

3. Cooling food before putting it in the refrigerator.

This rule is due to the same reason that defrosting meat on the outside is a bad idea: bacteria grow rapidly between 5 and 60°C. This is why it can be very dangerous to leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator for more than an hour or two.

4. Taste food to see if it has gone bad.

Dangerous bacteria cannot be recognized either by appearance or by taste. However, even small amounts of these bacteria can lead to serious food poisoning. To avoid this, throw away any food if you have any doubt that it might be spoiled.

5. Taste raw dough.

You should never eat raw eggs in any form. There is a high possibility that they contain bacteria known as salmonella, which is quite dangerous for humans. Also, do not try raw dough, even without eggs, because the flour can contain E. coli, which can cause various infections.

6. Marinating meat or fish outside the refrigerator.

This is another more common cooking mistake that can lead to food poisoning. Again, always be aware of the risky temperature range for bacterial growth. When you leave marinated meat out of the fridge, you are breaking this rule.

7. Don't wash your hands before cooking.

Bacteria live on all surfaces, even our hands. Imagine how many things you touch during the day, and when you start cooking without washing your hands, you can transfer all those bacteria to your food. And don't forget to wash your hands when you're done.