Clean Your Hands and Surfaces Properly
Everything you do in the kitchen starts with clean hands. Scrub your hands, wrists, and between your fingernails with soapy water for at least 20 seconds; this is the minimum time needed for the soap to actually break down bacteria. Do not skip this step before and after washing, especially right after touching a raw product.
Wipe the work counter with soapy water before and after every use. Bacteria can remain on a surface even when no dirt is visible; trust the habit, not appearances.
Never mix bleach with detergent; the reaction between the two chemicals releases toxic chlorine gas. Use these two products separately, rinsing between them.
Prevent Cross-Contamination
Bacteria on raw chicken, meat, and eggs can easily transfer to another food that touches the same cutting board or knife; this is called cross-contamination. Using a separate cutting board for raw products is the simplest and most effective precaution.
Rinsing raw chicken in the sink may make you feel safer, but it does the opposite: splashing water carries bacteria to the counter, dishes, and every surface around you. Safety comes from the proper cooking temperature, not from washing.
A cutting board that looks clean may still carry bacteria if it has touched raw meat. Cleanliness is measured by habits, not by sight.
Handle Raw Products Safely
Raw chicken, ground meat, and egg mixtures may harbor bacteria until they reach a safe internal temperature: chicken and ground chicken or turkey 74°C / 165°F, ground red meat 71°C / 160°F, whole cuts of meat 63°C / 145°F plus a 3-minute rest, fish 63°C / 145°F, and egg mixtures 71°C / 160°F. Do not guess at these temperatures; a kitchen thermometer is the most reliable way to check.
Keep raw products on the lowest refrigerator shelf, below other foods, so any possible leak does not drip onto ready-to-eat food.
Knife and Stove Safety Basics
When carrying a knife, hold it with the tip pointing down and the edge facing away from your body. Do not put a knife you are not using into dishwater; a knife hidden underwater poses a serious cut risk to anyone who reaches in.
Always turn pot and pan handles inward on the stove so they do not extend beyond it. A handle sticking out can be hit by your arm as you pass and cause the pot to tip over.
What to Do in a Kitchen Fire
Never pour water on a grease fire: the water instantly turns to steam, splashes burning oil in every direction, and makes the fire grow. Instead, turn off the stove and slide a lid or a baking sheet over the pan from the side; cutting off the oxygen puts out the flame.
After covering the pan, do not move it, and leave it covered until it has cooled completely; the heat trapped inside can cause the fire to flare up again. If you cannot control the flames, leave the kitchen immediately and call 112.