With Christmas cake and pudding baking in full swing, I have written a blog on the risks of consuming raw mixtures. Did your mother let you lick the spoon? Mine did, and its one tradition I won’t be passing on to my daughter.
Did you know unbaked ingredients such as dough, batter and Xmas cake mixture should not be consumed. Raw eggs can pose a risk of Salmonella and there have been many cases where E.Coli outbreaks have led back to flour. E-coli and Salmonella will be destroyed on effective cooking. Salmonella and E.coli are not a treat…no licking spoons or the beaters this holiday season.
Here are some tips for handling raw baked goods safely
- Wash hands (20 seconds), work surfaces and utensils thoroughly after contact with flour and raw dough products.
- Do not give play dough made with raw flour to children.
- Take care to clean up any flour spillages (if children are ‘helping’, flour is most likely to be scattered half way across the kitchen).
- Keep raw, unbaked food away from other foods to avoid cross-contamination
- Follow storage instructions of chilled ingredients and refrigerate as soon as possible after purchase.
- Follow manufacturers’ cooking instructions, or recipe guidelines when baking. Cooking food at the right temperature/time will ensure any harmful bacteria are killed.
Enjoy your Christmas baking? Get the kids involved and make a mess.
Just remember to say no to raw dough!
