Food Safety Quiz - answers

OK, this is what I asked you last week regarding food safety. Did you attempt the Qs? Even just reading them will be helpful to raise some self awareness, and that is always the first step. Well, here are the answers based on notes I took in class. Do educate and challenge me if you read anything that contradicts this.

1. Name 4 types of germs that can be found in food.

A: Bacteria, virus, fungi, parasites

2. Identify 2 types of food contamination.

A: Direct contamination where germs can be found in the food, and indirect contamination where the food is safe but tools and equipment you use are not, eg, chopping board

3. Why is personal hygiene important in food safety?

A: Because germs get transferred from human beings (eg, hair, nails, hands) to food

4. Name 3 types of food contaminants.

A: Biological (bacteria, virus), Physical (foreign objects in food like toothpick, staples, nails, hair), and Chemical (insecticide, pesticide, fertilisers)

5. What is the Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ) where bacteria can multiply?

A: Bacteria can reproduce between 5-60 degrees Celsius and most rapidly between 16-49 degrees Celsius. This means your cold food needs to be stored below 5 and hot food above 60. Check your chiller - it should not be more than 5. Mine was 7 when I checked.

6. Name one safe way to thaw food.

A: Leaving them in room temperature to thaw is not safe for the reasons given in Question 5. You can move your food from the freezer to thaw in the fridge, just remember to give it a day or two to thaw. Microwave if you need to cook it immediately. 

7. Name 2 types of food-borne illnesses.

A: Typhoid, dysentry, cholera

8. Name 2 safe ways to store food in the fridge.

A: Place raw meat in a storage container to prevent liquid from flowing out and cross contaminating other food. Also place them below cooked food. My fridge definitely needs major re-organisation!

9. How do you look for signs of pest presence in the kitchen?

A: No, not talking about children here, tsk tsk. Look out for droppings of rodents and roaches, also look out for holes in wooden cupboards. Commercial kitchen cabinets are all stainless steel so pests cannot reside and bite.

10. Why does the fridge temperature need to be monitored?

A: Because of Question 5 la!

Is this at all helpful? Not a sexy post, I know, but an important one that all of us should take upon ourselves to learn and practise and preach.

I barded!

There isn't a more refined way to say this or do this. Barding, as I described in an earlier post last week, which is also last Wednesday's Word of the Week, is the act of wrapping animal fats around a small piece of poultry before you cook it. This retains moisture in the poultry, especially in small birds.

I have 3 cornish game hens from Ben's Food which I marinated overnight with sea salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, and some turmeric powder for colour and because it's healthy.

I remembered I have some bacon streaks also from Ben's and decided it would be fun to try barding. (It sounds like, It would be fun to try planking!) It's a good way to remember what I learned in class too. 

I decided to have some fun with these small birds. Do you see a double plank of the other 2 awaiting hens? They look so cute!

This is so weird and funny, whoever invented barding. I feel like I'm wearing a sarong or dress for the dead bird. Then I thought, ok, the poor birds deserve some dignity. Every creature that gives its life for our table should be treated with class, and I stop fooling around.

Popped into the oven 180C for 40 minutes. Here's the before and after look. The caramelised bacon gave off a smoky aroma that filled the kitchen. A million-dollar feeling when I opened the oven door.

I was almost afraid to unveil the hens but we were running late for church and the family swarmed down on the meat so quickly I had no time to take pictures. By golly, I have to tell you in all honesty, the meat was succulent, tender, juicy and massively moist!

Came back from church and took a shot of the remaining pieces which didn't remain very long. They still looked very juicy.

To complement the barded chickens, I made a quick Jamie Oliver's mushroom soup together with my crusty bread.

A good day in the office for me.

By the way, do you know you can bard dates and figs too? Click here to see these great snacks.

Crusty rustic bread for all-day Sunday

Ta-da! Here's my no-knead crusty, rustic peasant food. Just like an Asian father, it is hard on the outside and soft on the inside.

It took 2 minutes to mix the dough. The recipe is so simple and basic - 1.5 cups tepid water, 1/4 tsp yeast, 3 cups plain flour, 1.5 tsp salt - and that's it! It's touted to be so simple any 6-year-old can do it and it will be as good as any bakery in the world. I think this is a bit of an exaggeration lah!

After mixing the dough, cling-wrap it for 12 hours. Place it in a warm area. For me, I leave it on the patio where it's more than 25 degrees Celsius. Dough is ready when you see small bubbles on its surface. 

Use a ceramic or cast iron pot for this recipe. This is my Le Gourmet dutch oven which I bought in Kuala Lumpur at a good discount (Malaysia Boleh!). The pot must be VERY hot when you put your dough in. I preheat the oven at 250C for about 20 minutes with the dutch oven and lid in it. 

This method uses heat and humidity to bake the bread without having to knead. Can anyone explain the science of it to me? It seems to work despite my ignorance.

I jumped out of bed early this morning as I couldn't wait to greet my overnight dough. Oven set to 250C at 7.30am on a sunny Sunday morning.

How it looks just before going into the oven. I forget to give it a shake to even out the mixture.
I must say the dough was not too easy to handle. 

I bake it for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then I remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes at the same temperature. The lid is extremely hot and heavy. 

And wah-la, this is what you get!

Husband woke up and said, Something smells good! 

Wait for an hour to cool before cutting. Me, of course, I didn't bother to wait. 

'Hole-y as it should be but I can also see traces of flour not too well mixed. Oopsy. 

Love the crust - very "pang" especially the slightly burnt part..
Sunday smells so...oo....goo...oo..d

Great start to a beautiful Sunday and wonderful week ahead. 

Meanwhile, enjoy the instructional video from NY Times below.

How "food-safe" are you? For your loved ones' sake, take this quiz.

Today, we were assessed on our knowledge of safe handling of food. One by one, we went in to be grilled on 30 questions based on what we have learned the past 3 days. Here's a sampling of the Qs. I challenge you to take this quiz and test your general knowledge and food safety awareness.


1. Name 4 types of germs that can be found in food.

2. Identify 2 types of food contamination.

3. Why is personal hygiene important in food safety?

4. Name 3 types of food contaminants.

5. What is the Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ) where bacteria can multiply?

6. Name one safe way to thaw food.

7. Name 2 types of food-borne illnesses.

8. Name 2 safe ways to store food in the fridge.

9. How do you look for signs of pest presence in the kitchen?

10. Why does the fridge temperature need to be monitored?

Honestly, my home kitchen violates most of the food safety rules of the professionally run commercial kitchen. There are some quick wins and changes I can do immediately which I will, including checking the temperature of my chiller and freezer.

Have fun with the quiz. It's worth doing even to increase awareness and protect your loved ones from unnecessary harm. I'll share answers on Sunday night. Cheers!

Word of the Week: Barding and Larding

Barding a bird

Every Wednesday, the sous chef shares a culinary Word of the Week with us. This morning, he taught me "Barding" and "Larding". Barding is the act of wrapping bacon streaks (or fats) around a piece of meat (usually poultry) before roasting to keep it moist, tender and juicy.  Larding is injecting the fats into the inside of the bird using special tools.

I have never heard of this until today. I love this learning journey.

Look out for next week's Word of the Week on Wednesday (my new WWW).

Afternote: see my first attempt at barding. It's fun, easy and rewarding! And it makes you feel "cheffy"!