Do You Know Food Safety?
By: Becky Bracken
Published: July 12, 2011

The Feds are putting on the full-court press for food safety this summer. Aside, from an eye-catching (if not disturbing) ad campaign, FoodSafety.gov has beefed up its offerings with tons of great food safety information. One of the best pages, is all about food safety myths. Do you think you know food safety myth from fact? We were surprised by one or two. Let's see, shall we?
1. When cleaning my kitchen, the more bleach I use, the better. More bleach kills more bacteria, so it’s safer for my family.
Fact: There is actually no advantage to using more bleach than needed. To clean kitchen surfaces effectively, use just one teaspoon of liquid, unscented bleach to one quart of water. 
2. The only reason to let food sit after it’s been cooked in the microwave is to make sure you don’t burn yourself on food that’s too hot.
Fact: In fact, letting microwaved food sit for a few minutes (“standing time”) helps your food cook more completely by allowing colder areas of food time to absorb heat from hotter areas of food. 
3. I don’t need to wash fruits or vegetables if I’m going to peel them.
Fact: Because it’s easy to transfer bacteria from the peel or rind you’re cutting to the inside of your fruits and veggies, it’s important to wash all produce, even if you plan to peel it.