You don't know you made 11 food safety mistakes.

wash your hands before cooking. Do not cut raw vegetables and meat on the same cutting board. That's basically everything you need to know about food safety, right? Wrong. One in six Americans has food poisoning every year, and these people only report food poisoning. Although some people spend a painful night in their bathroom, 128000 people are hospitalized and 3000 die of foodborne diseases every year. We often underestimate the risk of known pathogens in the kitchen and worry too much about benign bacteria in our overall environment. But how do we know when it will endanger our health? Read on to learn about the 11 food safety mistakes you don't know you're making and how to correct them immediately.

Credit: lofilolo / iStock / Getty Images

error 1: cut the melon without first cleaning it with a clean knife. You may just drag harmful bacteria from the outside to what you want to eat. If it sounds like you, you're not alone. In a 2010 FDA survey of 4500 people, nearly 100 percent said they would rinse tomatoes before preparing or eating them, but only 51 percent said they would do the same with cantaloupes. A year later, the dirty cantaloupe was linked to an outbreak of Listeria, which killed 33 people and sickened nearly 150. All the products will have harmful bacteria outside. Solution: rinse the product with cold water before peeling, cutting, cooking or eating. Use an agricultural brush to scrub hard fruits and vegetables, such as watermelons and cucumbers.

related: 10 tips to save money and reduce waste of fresh fruits and vegetables

Credit: Jupiter images / photos. COM / Getty Images

your refrigerator is full of stuff, you can't put anything else in it. However, somehow, you can always find more space. Because the cold air can't circulate, your refrigerator starts to heat up, and invisible bacteria start to grow faster. Most refrigerators don't show the actual temperature (just the temperature setting), so you can't tell if it happened. Solution: set the temperature at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and put a cheap instrument thermometer in the refrigerator, so you can monitor the temperature and adjust it as needed. Avoid packing refrigerator too much, let cold air circulate.

related: sign up to receive the free livestrong.com weekly health and fitness press release

Credit:

you wipe off the counter and sponge the dishes. Then you let it stay moist in a thin pool at room temperature until you need to clean it again. You created a bacterial delivery room. Solution: first, buy two different colors of sponges, one for cleaning dishes and the other for cleaning messy sinks and counters, suggested Marisa Moore, a spokesman for RDN and the school of nutrition and nutrition. Second, clean your sponge every night as part of your daily cleaning. According to Dr. Jennifer Quinlan, an associate professor at Drexel University, the best way is to heat non-metallic wet sponges for a minute in a microwave oven, let them steam up, or put them directly in the dishwasher. Take care to remove the sponge from the microwave oven, because they will be very hot. Related: 13 cooking methods can save time in the kitchen

Credit: Damien gill / iStock / Getty Images

error 4: wash the raw chicken in the sink before cooking. Now you, your sink and counter are full of invisible chicken germs. Solution: don't wash chicken. Everything you leave behind when you buy it is baked in the oven. "If you wash it, no matter how slow you run, you mobilize the bacteria, splash them into your prep area, and increase your risk of cross infection," says Jennifer Quinlan. "There's about 30 percent chance that your raw poultry will have Salmonella or Campylobacter," said Ph.D. Why risk cross contamination? " Asked him. If you question why you can wash your hands in the sink, but not where you can wash the chicken, Quinlan added, "because you don't have the option to bake your hands."

related: 10 healthy meals in advance

Credit: tycoon 751 / iStock / Getty Images

error 5: there is a convenient egg compartment on the door of the refrigerator, so you can use it. But there are also some problems. First of all, the door is the hottest part of the refrigerator. You can no longer tell when the eggs expire. Moreover, you may be infected with bacteria in the refrigerator. Solution: the U.S. egg Commission recommends keeping eggs in the coldest part of the refrigerator to inhibit bacterial growth. The door of the refrigerator is not safe because the temperature fluctuates whenever it is opened and closed. There are two main purposes to put them in cartons: first, you can check the expiry date at any time; second, you can reduce the chance of accidentally breaking the eggshell, bacteria on your hands can also get bacteria from the eggshell and refrigerator.

correlation: 11 simple egg recipes you may not have tried yet ock / Getty Images

error 6: think that clear juice equals cooked chicken

to test whether the chicken is cooked, you need to cut it into one piece. If the juice is clear, you're sure it's finished. Unfortunately, it's not proven enough, and you may be able to serve undercooked chicken with Salmonella. Solution: heat the chicken to 165 degrees Fahrenheit using a food thermometer. There is no other way to ensure its completion. Although two-thirds of Americans report having a food thermometer, only 17% always use it to cook chicken, while almost half don't use it at all. Uncooked chicken is related to harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Listeria and Escherichia coli. Organic birds are not safe either. In fact, the risk of organic bird food poisoning is the same, but according to Jennifer Quinlan, pathogens are unlikely to develop resistance to antibiotics, PhD.

correlation: 13 cooking skills, saving kitchen time

Credit:

error 7: thaw meat in the kitchen counter or hot water

, thaw meat on the counter at the same time, the outer layer heats up to the temperature of bacteria rapid propagation, while the inner layer continues to thaw. heatThere's nothing good about a water bath. In addition, you can make what Dr. Jennifer Quinlan calls "pathogen soup". A bowl of effective microorganisms can easily cross contaminate the kitchen. Solution: there are three safe ways to defrost meat: 1) put it in the refrigerator. It may take a day to defrost a small amount of meat, such as boneless chicken breasts. After thawing, minced meat and poultry should be kept safe for a day or two, and cuts of red meat such as beef and pork should be kept for three to five days, according to the USDA. 2) cold water. Put the chicken into a leak proof bag, put it into cold tap water, change the water every 30 minutes until it thaws, and then cook it immediately. 3) microwave oven. Cook immediately after thawing in the microwave.

related: meeting with women who are changing their health status

Credit: enzod Bernardo / iStock / Getty Images

error 8: judging the leftovers according to the taste, the leftovers you eat have been put in the refrigerator for six days, but they look good, so you have lunch. Unfortunately, the types of bacteria that cause food poisoning do not affect the smell, taste or appearance of food. Solution: freeze or dispose of leftovers in three to four days. Even a small bite can make you sick, suggests Jennifer Quinlan, Ph.D.

related: 10 tips to save money and waste less fresh fruits and vegetables they are in tap water. But if you don't wash your hands thoroughly first, you will only transfer the bacteria to the agricultural products and destroy your good will. Solution: wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before preparing or eating (you can sing "Happy Birthday" twice to time it). Be sure to take out your wrists, the back of your hand, between your fingers and under your fingernails. " Hand washing may be the most important step to prevent food poisoning. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and prevention call hand washing a "do it yourself vaccine" because it has a huge impact on your health.

correlation: 20 kinds of food need to buy organic food, raw meat and cooked meat regularly. After eating, use the same pliers to transfer the cooked meat to a clean plate. Your contaminated pliers kill the bacteria on your cooked hamburger. Solution: use different utensils to put raw meat, seafood or poultry on the grill, and then remove them. If there is only one set, wash thoroughly with warm soapy water before reuse. Dirty cutlery can transfer potentially harmful bacteria and their juices to your cooked food, warning the USDA.

related: 10 healthy meals in advance

Credit: Internet photographer / iStock / Getty Images

error 11: cleaning pre cleaned vegetables

the bag says "three times of cleaning", but you want to clean them again to be safe. Any bacteria that lurk in the area where you repaint your vegetables will stick to your salad. Solution: remove the pre washed vegetables directly from the bag. In 2007, a team of product safety experts reviewed existing research and recommendations and concluded that packaged salads labeled "washed," "triple washed," or "ready to eat" did not require additional cleaning. They are safe to eat and re cleaning can cause cross contamination of dirty sinks, filters and bowls. If harmful bacteria are unlikely to succeed in the commercial washing process, re washing at home will not help, providing advice for the 2006 report on food protection trends.

correlation: 13 cooking techniques can save kitchen time.

Credit: wavebreakmedia Ltd / Wavebreak media / Getty Images

What do you think? What about you? Are you surprised by these food safety mistakes? Have you ever done anything stupid in the kitchen? If so, what are you going to do to keep your kitchen safe?

correlation: nine of the worst waistline breakfasts

points: georgetore / Stockbyte / Getty Images