Answer :
Final answer:
Yes, both tongs and cutting boards must be cleaned and sanitized to maintain food safety by removing food particles, dirt, and reducing harmful bacteria to safe levels. Plastic cutting boards are preferred over wooden ones for better hygiene. Cleanliness standards vary based on the intended use of the item.
Explanation:
Yes, both tongs and cutting boards should be cleaned and sanitized. Cleaning and sanitizing are crucial processes in maintaining food safety in the kitchen, preventing the spread of germs and foodborne illnesses.
When you clean tongs and cutting boards, you're removing any visible food particles, dirt, and debris. However, cleaning alone won't eliminate all harmful bacteria that may be present.
This is where sanitizing comes into play, which involves using a disinfectant to reduce the number of bacteria to safe levels.
For example, a plastic cutting board is considered safer than a wooden one because wood is porous and can harbor bacteria in its crevices.
Therefore, after cleaning your cutting board and tongs with soap and water, using a disinfectant will help ensure they're safe to use for handling food again.
When it comes to other items like work gloves, they should be cleaned if they come into contact with non-disinfected surfaces, like your face or a chair.
The goal is to control microbial growth across all surfaces with which food may come into contact, to ensure that the environment is as clean as needed for its intended use.
This concept is similar to having different cleanliness standards for items based on their purposes, such as silverware needing to be clean enough for eating, but surgical equipment requiring sterilization.
