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The Spruce Eats

Food Safety & Sanitation

Learn more about food health and safety from our expert guidelines to avoid illness and injury.
The Recipe Finder

What Would You Like to Cook?

broccoli, radishes, carrots, beets, and yams cut on cutting board with a knife
Tiny New Habits for the New Year and Beyond
Copper pot dried with microfiber cloth in front of sink
How to Clean Copper Cookware
black woman cleaning kitchen
Low-Stress Spring Cleaning Tips for a Post-Pandemic Life
Fry haddock
How to Defrost Fish
Canned foods on a shelf
How Long Does Canned Food Really Last?
Potato and chicken casserole in baking dish
Glass Bakeware Safety Tips You Need to Know
Chicken dish and carrot dish served on a table
Main Ingredient: Chicken
The Ultimate Guide to Freezer-Burned Food Safety
Serve ham
Can You Safely Refreeze Ham?
Taco-Rubbed Flank Steak cooked to medium
Meat Temperature Chart and Food Safety Tips
Spruce Eats storage for produce
The Best Way to Store Lettuce to Keep It Fresh and Crisp
Should you refrigerate butter
Do You Really Have to Refrigerate Butter?
Raw chicken in roasting pan
How To Defrost Chicken Fast
Moist sausage dressing
Cooking Stuffing
Home-Canned Goods
Important Steps to Remove the Risk of Botulism From Canning
Woman sitting on bed holding stomach, head bowed
Signs You Might Have Food Poisoning
Refrigerator Interior
14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate
Bowl of Pears
How to Prevent Your Food From Spoiling
Sprouted potatoes on wooden table
Sprouted Potatoes and Food Safety
Meat thermometer testing meat
USDA-Recommended Minimum Internal Cooking Temperatures
Chestnut stuffing
Make Your Turkey Safe to Eat
what are chia seeds
What Are Chia Seeds?
Pumpkin butter
Why Pumpkin Butter Can't Be Canned at Home Safely
green beans in a pot of water
How to Blanch Vegetables Before Freezing
Uncooked hamburger patty
Can You Safely Refreeze Hamburger?
Cherry tomatoes in a colander under running water
Homemade Fruit and Vegetable Wash
pork chop marinade
How to Safely Refreeze Pork
Ground beef patties
The Three Ways to Know If Your Ground Beef Has Gone Bad
Close up of Oven Bag Turkey
Safely Refreeze a Turkey
Man using nonstick pan
Is Nonstick Cookware Safe?
Testing eggs freshness in water
Testing Eggs for Freshness
Refreeze bacon recipe
Can You Refreeze Bacon Safely?
buger internal temperature guide with burgers on grill and one large stack of patties cooked to: rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well done
Guide To Internal Temperature for Burgers
Preserved foods
What's Fat Tom? The Trick That'll Help Keep Food in the Safe Zone
Frozen Fish in Ice
Can You Refreeze Fish Safely?
Preserved Foods
10 Simple Steps to Becoming a Home Canning Expert
Ground beef
Ground Beef Color and Safety
Peppers, carrots and green beans preserved in jars
Canning 101: Can You Reuse Grocery Store Jars?
Turkey cooking in oven with meat thermometer
How to Make Sure Meat Is Done
Colorful plastic reusable containers on counter
How to Tell If Plastic Is BPA-Free
Chestnuts in a pot
Eating Raw Chestnuts
Vinegar in bottles on the table
Using Homemade Vinegar in Pickling
Marinade Safety
Making Marinades Safe
High Angle View Of Baking Soda In Bowl On Wooden Table
How to Determine if Your Baking Powder Is Still Good
Free Range chickens
What Is Free-Range Chicken?
Raw chicken egg yolk with blood spot
Is It Safe to Eat an Egg with a Blood Spot?
Eggs and water
Is It Safe to Eat Eggs Past Their Expiration Date?
Pouring milk into bowl with flour
How to Store Buttermilk Before and After Use
Brown eggs boiling on stove top
What to Do With Frozen Chicken Eggs
Freezer
Freezing Food and Freezer Food Safety
Making Raspberry Jam
How to Tell If a Canning Jar Has Sealed Properly
Coquito: Puerto Rican no-egg eggnog
What Is Eggnog?
Mayonnaise Spoilage Myths and Safety: Does Mayo Go Bad?
How to Wash Lettuce and Other Greens
Pigs
What Is Pastured Pork?
grill gas leak
How to Check Your Grill Fuel Lines for Gas Leaks
Woman grocery shopping
"Sell by" and "Best Used By" Labels on Food Packaging
barbecue meats on a serving board
Barbecue Leftovers
Grilled Chicken on a salad
4 Essential Tips for Marinating (Or Not Marinating) Chicken
Chicken Breast
The 7 Biggest Mistakes When Cooking Chicken Breasts