No matter
What you cook,
When you cook,
Where you cook,
How you cook,
Why you cook or
Who you cook for, the first step in cooking is always the same:
Wash your hands.
– Emmett Steede, SMG, USA (ret.), 1929-1988
Having spent his Army career in Preventive Medicine, the military equivalent to public health, Emmett developed a incisive perspective on health and cleanliness. He understood the difference between sterile and sanitary, between pure and potable, and regularly noted how confused most people were about simple sanitation.
If you want to feel better after eating, be more careful before eating. Food poisoning is one of the most common ailments in our modern society, simply because cooks are careless at home with the most basic sanitary practices.
Wash your hands.
Wash your cutting boards.
Wash your knives and other prep tools.
Do it regularly during the course of the prep, and thoroughly after you’re done.
Every single meal.