FDSC 1000: Food Safety

Food safety has always been applied in my family. Before enrolling into this course, I had a basic knowledge about food safety but I myself did not implement it like I should. My father is the main cook in my family and he has always applied proper food safety. When he is preparing food, he makes sure to always have clean hands and to have a sanitized work area. When he was done preparing the food, he makes it a priority to clean the surfaces around the kitchen. When he is cooking meat, he checks each piece to make sure the internal temperature is correct with a cooking thermometer. He checks many types of meat, mostly pork and chicken but when it comes to things such as hamburgers or steaks, he does not typically check for the correct internal temperature. Before taking this class, I knew my father did these things, but I was never completely sure as to why he did them. I did not use food safety properly because I did not begin to cook regularly until I moved to Auburn. Upon moving, I began to cook daily and started to see more importance in food safety. Once I enrolled in FDSC 1000, I was given more information on why food safety is important and what is necessary to achieve proper food safety. I was able to understand which pathogens can live in certain environments and what proper steps can be taken to hinder the growth and spread. The information covered in this class gives information on pathogens and what they can do to your body if not properly dealt with through food safety. My perspectives toward food safety have changed and I will start to include food safety in every meal preparation. I will start to prepare food properly and store food accordingly to keep the quality from degrading. I will make sure that when it comes to cooking, I cook at the correct temperature to reach the optimum quality.