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How to maintain good food quality
When buying groceries
Always take the following precautions:
• Place any packages of raw meat, fish or poultry in
plastic bags so that they do not drip on other foods.
• Purchase meat, poultry and fish last. Do not leave
your groceries in a warm car after shopping. Keep
a freezer bag in your car and use it in case of very
high temperatures or long trips.
• Check the production dates and “best used within”
times on foods to be sure that they are fresh.
• Be very careful when buying fresh foods, and only
buy a quantity that can be consumed in a week.
• Leave warm foods at room temperature for at least
two hours before placing them in the refrigerator,
unless you have activated the Shopping function
before.
When placing foods in
Check the refrigeration temperature of the various
compartments on the control panel:
• The refrigerator temperature must be 8°C (45°F) or
lower and the freezer temperature must be -18°C
(0°F).
• Follow the recommendations regarding the
conservation times and temperatures indicated in
the tables to follow.
• Keep raw meat, fish and poultry separate from
other foods and avoid any possible drippings.
When placing foods in
• When placing in the refrigerator your meat, fish or
poultry, leave these in their original packaging,
unless the packaging is ripped or punctured.
Repeated manipulation could introduce bacteria
into these foods.
• To keep food in the freezer is a good idea to use
freezer containers, with plastic freezer bags or
aluminum foil around the freezer containers if you
intend to conserve the food for more than two
months. This will minimize dehydration and
quality deterioration.
• Label and date the packages.
• To keep foods in the refrigerator, wrap these in
plastic film or deposit them in plastic containers or
vacuum packed containers to avoid drying. Always
mark with the date the packages or containers.
• Be careful to correctly position the food items on
the shelves in a way that does not obstruct the air
circulation vents inside the compartment.
When preparing food
• Wash all items that have come in contact with
food.
• Carefully wash hands before and after contact with
food.
• Sterilize containers, utensils and kitchen tools that
have come into contact with meat, fish and poultry.
• Sterilize sponges used to wash kitchenware weekly.
• Use plastic gloves if you have any hand condition.
• Defrost foods in the refrigerator or in the
microwave oven, not on the countertop. If you use
a microwave oven to defrost food, cook the food
immediately.
• Marinate food only in the refrigerator.
• Rinse fish and poultry before cooking.
• Avoid contamination when preparing dishes. Keep
raw meat, fish, poultry and their liquids away from
other food items. For example, do not use the same
surface or the same utensils for preparing meat,
fish, poultry and vegetables.
• Keep your cutting boards perfectly clean, whether
in wood or plastic.
• Wash these with warm water and soap, and rinse
with a diluted disinfecting solution.
When cooking food
• Do not taste raw or partially cooked meat, poultry,
fish and eggs.
• Cook meat at a temperature of 75°C (167°F) or
higher. For cuts of meat over 5 cm, use a meat
thermometer to check the temperature. For thinner
cuts of meat, to check if it is cooked, check the
color of the juice and whether it is clear or pink.
• If you are cooking meat which is not yet defrosted,
increase the cooking time one and half times the
normal duration.
• Bear in mind that roasted meat and poultry, when
cooked in the oven, need temperatures of 160°C
(320°F) or higher.
• Cook the egg whites and yolks until they are well
done.
• Do not use the same containers that have contained
raw or partially cooked eggs.
• If your oven or microwave is equipped with a
probe for temperature control, use it.
