Last Updated on November 7, 2025

Premium kitchen tools, such as Japanese kitchenware, have made food prep faster, easier, and more efficient. But did you know that food safety starts even before ingredients reach your kitchen? Yes, there are shopping best practices to follow if you want to prevent cross-contamination right from the start.

Safely Shopping for Ingredients

Producers and sellers work hard to comply with food safety laws, but once those products and other items are in your hands, keeping them safe is your full responsibility.

Shop for quality at all times. Even better, buy only from suppliers you trust and know that will not compromise their customers’ health and trust.
Carefully check food items for blemishes, cracks, dents, tampering, and other indicators of possible contamination or mishandling.
Frozen foods should not be left outside of the refrigerator or freezer, and produce should not be soiled or mouldy.
Avoid takeaway foods that are not steaming hot, as they’re likely to have been sitting on the counter for some time.
Raw meat, seafood, and poultry must be stored in plastic bags and kept separate from other items in your shopping cart.

Clean, Wash, Repeat

When it’s time to prep your meals, nothing beats proper hygiene in preventing cross-contamination. If there are steps to properly clean a microwave, there are important steps to follow when washing food items too.

Before anything else, make sure everything is washed and clean from your hands to the kitchen counters.
It may seem time-consuming, but practice washing your hands in soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after touching any ingredients.
Wash all utensils you’re going to need for food prep, from cutting boards to countertops, with hot soapy water. Again, this should be done after utensils are used with every food item.
Before opening tinned goods, clean and wipe down the lids for safety purposes.

Washing Fruit and Vegetables

Washing raw fruit and veggies is not as simple as you think. There’s more to it than just running them under the tap.

Make sure your hands are properly washed and thoroughly cleaned before handling fruits, veggies, and other raw food items.
Follow safe food storage by separating unwashed raw fruits and vegetables from foods that are ready to eat.
If possible, don’t use the same chopping boards, knives, and other utensils used for raw foods when prepping cooked food. If not possible, prep the raw items first, wash all utensils thoroughly, then take care of the cooked food.

Be Aware of the Right Cooking Temperature

High-risk foods, such as raw and cooked meat, dairy products, seafood, and prepared salads, become a breeding ground for bacteria that cause food poisoning when they hit at temperatures between 5 °C and 60 °C.

Different food items must be cooked to specific temperatures. Ground beef, for example, must be cooked to 71 °C, while the non-ground beef is 62 °C.
Maintain your fridge temperature between 0 °C and 5 °C.

To prevent contamination and enjoy your meals without worry, follow best practices in safe food handling and prep. From shopping to storage, every step matters. For more efficient prep, use high-quality kitchen essentials