Dirty Dining: Former health inspector offers tips to keep your kitchen clean

TAMPA - Former health inspector Roy Costa offers recommendations to help keep your kitchen clean and free from bacteria.

• 1. Never wash raw fish, raw chicken, or raw beef in the sink. Raw product does not need to be rinsed off before cooking.
• 2. Disinfect the sink drain once a week using a bucket of room temperature water mixed with less than a capful of clorox.
• 3. Clean each child's toy with soap and water and then sterilize each in that same diluted solution for at least 5 minutes.
• 4. Store raw meat, chicken or fish by itself in a separate drawer, as the outside of the packaging can be contaminated with e-coli or salmonella.
• 5. Have a hanging thermometer in the refrigerator and check to make sure food stays at 41 degrees or below.
• 6. Calibrate that thermometer in ice water so it stays accurate. It should be 32 degrees fahrenheit.
• 7. Cook all food to the proper temperature. Chicken should get to 165 degrees, hamburger to 155 degrees and fish to 145 degrees.
• 8. Microwave your sponge for 10 to 15 seconds every day or put it in the dishwasher, as it can harbor bacteria.

See a former health inspector test Wendy Ryan's kitchen .