Food safety in the kitchen

Knowing how to prepare and cook food helps keep the food you and your family eat safe. These simple tips will help make sure the food you cook and eat won’t do you any harm

A person cooking vegetables in a frying pan on an induction stove, with a pot also on the stove in the background.

In this section

Food safety isn't just about eating out, it's about keeping you and your family safe in the home too.

Cleaning

For good food hygiene at home, effective cleaning removes bacteria on hands, equipment and surfaces, helping to stop harmful bacteria from spreading onto food.

Learning about cleaning
mum and daughter washing dishes at a sink

Chilling

Your fridge is a weapon in the battle against germs, but it must be used effectively. Find out what to do with your fridge to slow bacterial growth.

Chilling
A hand opening a fridge door

Cooking

You can avoid getting food poisoning by cooking your food carefully, following cooking instructions and cooking food for the correct length of time and temperature. Get more tips to ensure bacteria in food is killed.

Cooking and food safety
Two people cooking in a kitchen, one stirring a bowl of pasta and the other holding a spatula. Various cooking items and a slow cooker are visible on the counter.

Cross-contamination

Cross-contamination is the spread of bacteria around your kitchen, from food to surfaces and from surfaces to food. Here are some tips to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen and keep you and your family safe.

Cross-contamination
Food stored in separate containers to prevent cross contamination

Food storage

Storing food safely helps to reduce food waste and keep you and your household safe from food poisoning. Also storing food correctly will help to reduce food waste and cut costs.

Food storage
Open kitchen cabinet with three shelves containing glass jars filled with nuts, grains, spices, and other dry goods, each with metal or plastic lids

Power cuts

If you have a power cut in your home for longer than four hours, it's important that you make sure the food in your home is stored safely so that it's safe to eat. Find out what to do if that happens to you.

Storing food during a power outage
Dimly lit indoor scene with two bottles of water, several lit candles, a person holding a small can, additional cans on the table, and a flashlight or cylindrical object.
Group of people gathered outdoors around a table with food and red plastic cups, with trees and a house in the background. Faces are blurred for privacy

Parties and events

Hosting a party or having an event? Get more specific food safety advice for things like parties and events to keep guests free from food poisoning.

Food safety at parties and events
A Schnauzer dog eating from a metal bowl on the grass with the sun setting in the background.

Raw pet food

Following good food safety when preparing and handling raw pet food is important too.

Handling raw pet food

Are you guilty of a kitchen crime?

We often risk food poisoning without realising it, like undercooking food or ignoring use-by dates. We’ve identified 20 ways you can clean up your act and reduce the risk of illness in the home.

Find out if you're committing any of the 20 'kitchen crimes' with our quiz.

Check your kitchen crime record
Man holding mug shot board with words Woman holding mug shot board with words Kitchen Zookeeper
Did you find this helpful? We would love to hear from you.
Thank you for your feedback!

If you like you can share this page with others: