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Avoid Bacteria Cross-Contamination |
| June 14th, 2007 under Cooking. [ Comments: none ]
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Bacteria is spread by cross-contamination. This means the bacteria from one food or area comes in contact with another food or area and the bacteria is transfered.
It is pretty simple to avoid food cross-contamination while cooking at the group home that you work at. Simple procedures to follow when handling food:
- Start with a clean food preparation area (washed with warm water and soap)
- Wash hands at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap
- If you are not sure utensils, storage containers, and/or dishes are clean, re-wash them
- In shopping cart, grocery bags, and in refrigerator, keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from other foods
- Have two cutting boards-one for fresh produce and one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood. If you cannot get other staff to do this, wash cutting boards in warm water and soap. 1 part bleach mixed with 10 parts water can be used to disinfect cutting boards. Be sure to rinse thoroughly before using
- Once meat, poultry, or seafood is cooked, do not place on a plate that had raw meat on it
For more information go to Fight Bac
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Safe Cooking Temperatures |
| June 8th, 2007 under Cooking. [ Comments: none ]
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If your group home kitchen doesn’t have a cooking thermometer, talk with your group home manager or the support staff that does the shopping. Cooking food until it reaches the proper temperature kills harmful bacteria.
Ground meat and meat meat mixtures (hamburgers, meatloaf, etc):
- Beef, pork, veal, lamb-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Turkey, chicken-165 degrees Fahrenheit
Fresh beef, veal, lamb:
- Medium rare-145 degrees Fahrenheit
- Medium-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well done-170 degrees Fahrenheit
Poultry:
- Chicken, turkey (whole) -165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Chicken, turkey (parts)-165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Duck and goose-165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)-165 degrees Fahrenheit
Fresh Pork:
- Medium-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well done-170 degrees Fahrenheit
Ham:
- Fresh (raw)-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Pre-cooked (reheated)-140 degrees Fahrenheit/em>
Eggs, egg dishes (quiche, etc):
- eggs -cook until yolk and whites are firm
- egg dishes-160 degrees Fahrenheit
Seafood:
- Fin fish (trout, bass, etc.)-145 degrees Fahrenheit(flesh is opaque and separates easily)
- Shrimp, lobster, crabs-flesh is pearly and opaque
- Clams, oysters, mussels-shells open during cooking
- Scallops-milky white or opaque and firm
Miscellaneous:
- Leftovers -165 degrees Fahrenheit
- casseroles-165 degrees Fahrenheit
Knowing the correct cooking temperatures will also help to prevent over-cooking and dryness in food.
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Suicide Signs |
| June 8th, 2007 under Mental Health, Residents. [ Comments: none ]
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Group home residents sometimes are more prone to depression. Three of the reasons that put them at risk are:
- Medication side effects
- Inability to have control over life
- Undeveloped coping skills
If there are any signs of depression contact a health care professional. If there is an immediate risk, call 911.
These are some of the warning signs of suicide:
- Threats of suicide (direct or indirect)
- Hints verbally (”It’s hopeless”, “It doesn’t matter, I won’t be around”, etc)
- Putting “affairs” in order (giving away prized possessions)
- Sudden onset of cheerfulness after depression (has made the decision to commit suicide and feels a relief from pain is in sight)
- Obsession with death (writing, researching)
- Drastic drop in job or school performance
- Sleeping and eating patterns disrupted for an extended time
Most people who attempt suicide will clear warning signs. Please don’t ignore those signs. It’s better to get a resident to help who may not need it, than to have a resident not receive the help he or she needs before it’s too late.
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