A CLEAN KITCHEN NECESSARY 



127 



Flavors in foods. Foods frequently get a large part of 

 their flavor from the bacteria which live in them. The flavor 

 of butter, the "gamey " taste of certain meats, the flavor of 

 sauerkraut, are due to the work of bacteria. Bacteria have 

 some useful, as well as harmful, effects in foods. 



A clean kitchen necessary. Since foods are handled in 

 the kitchen, it goes without saying that a clean kitchen 

 will go a long way to pre- 

 vent spoiling of foods. This 

 means that all surfaces in 

 the kitchen should be washed 

 frequently. Why? Tables 

 and shelves should be cov- 

 ered with oil cloth or some- 

 thing which can be wiped off 

 and dried quickly. Wooden 

 surfaces, especially when 

 they become greasy, make 

 excellent homes for bacteria. 

 Remember that hands must 



NUMBER OF BACTERIA LEfT ON A- 

 AfTER DIFFERENT METHOD? OF WASHING 



259,000 



i. As plate leaves table. 2. Washed in 



B*r,J2- 



Was " 



be kept clean when handling 



foods. Since flies carry dis- 



ease the kitchen should be 



screened. Dishes should be 



washed clean with plenty of 



soap and hot water. The accompanying diagram will 



illustrate how the clean washing of dishes helps in keeping 



bacteria from foods. 



An excellent method of drying is to stack the dishes on the 

 draining board and then to pour boiling water over them. 

 Why is this better than drying them with a hand towel ? Is it 

 a good plan to leave the dishes to drain overnight ? Why not ? 



