Food Safety Week -Food hygiene quiz

Question 1

TRUE OR FALSE:

You can reheat leftovers as manytimes as you like.

Answer - FALSE

You should only reheat leftovers once.

The more times you cool and reheat food, the morepotential there is for food poisoning – bacteria might growand multiply because the food is cooled too slowly, andmight survive because the food isn’t reheated properly.

When you do reheat, make sure that food is reheatedthoroughly, so that it is steaming hot all the way through.

Question 2

TRUE OR FALSE:

If something is cooked on theoutside it will definitely be cookedon the inside.

Answer - FALSE

Most forms of cooking involve heat penetrating the foodfrom the outside, so although the surface may be cookedthe centre may not be. It is therefore important to makesure that the food is thoroughly cooked all the waythrough.

Question 3

Which of these types of meats aresafe to eat rare/pink?

• Beef• Pork• Lamb• Chicken• Minced meat• Sausages• Burgers

Answer - Beef and lamb

It’s fine to eat steaks and other whole cuts of beef and lambrare, as long as the outside has been properly cooked or‘sealed’. Steaks are usually sealed in a frying pan over a highheat. It’s important to seal meat in order to kill any bacteria thatmight be on the outside.

It’s OK to serve beef and lamb joints rare too, as long as thejoint is a single piece of meat, not a rolled joint (made fromdifferent pieces of meat rolled together).

You shouldn’t eat poultry, pork, burgers or sausages rare orpink. This is because these types of meat can have bacteria allthe way through them, not just on the outside. So if they aren’tproperly cooked then any bacteria in the meat might not bekilled.

Question 4

How can you tell that chicken is properlycooked?

1. It’s hot on the outside2. It’s not pink3.The juices run clear4.After the time stated on the instructions5. It’s golden brown6. It’s steaming hot all the way through

Answer: 2, 3 and 6

It’s not pink, the juices run clear and it’s steaming hot all the waythrough.

To ensure chicken is properly cooked, you should check thethickest bit of the meat, either large pieces in something like acurry, or with a roast bird at the thickest part between the breastof leg. The meat should be steaming hot, with no pinkness andany juices should run clear.

Question 5

TRUE OR FALSE:

It is important to clean choppingboards/utensils after usingthem for raw meat.

Answer - TRUE

Bacteria can transfer from the meat to the choppingboards/utensils. If they are then used for ready-to-eat foodswithout being washed, that bacteria can then transfer to food.This is known as cross-contamination.

Question 6

TRUE OR FALSE:

You only need to clean hands andkitchen surfaces when theylook dirty.

Answer - FALSE

You can’t see bacteria with the naked eye, so there is noway to tell if your hands or work surfaces are clean. Youshould therefore always wash your hands and surfacesbefore and after food preparation.

Question 7

TRUE OR FALSE:

You should wash chicken and otherpoultry before cooking.

Answer: FALSE

Research has shown that bacteria in water droplets canspread easily, by splashing onto worktops, dishes andother foods. This makes food poisoning more likely tooccur.

Question 8

TRUE OR FALSE:

Raw meat should be stored at thetop of the fridge.

Answer: FALSE

Raw meat should be stored covered at the bottom of thefridge to avoid it dripping onto other foods and causingfood poisoning through cross-contamination.

Question 9

Why is it important to dry yourhands after washing them?

1.So that they don’t drip2.So that your hands don’t get cold3.Germs spread more easily from

wet hands

Answer - 3

Evidence has shown that bacteria spread more readily inthe presence of moisture, so always dry your hands afterwashing them thoroughly.