Keeping your kitchen clean and hygienic should be second nature, to keep ourselves and our families safe.

Just remember four things for good kitchen hygiene: cleaning, separating, cooking, and chilling.

1. Cleaning
We've all become used to cleaning our hands thoroughly and often. But when should you clean your hands in the kitchen? Wash your hands after handling raw foods, including raw meat and raw seafood, but also vegetables and eggs. If you see dirt on vegetables, wash your hands afterwards. The same goes for eggs, because we all know where they come from! When it comes to washing your hands, as long as it takes to sing happy birthday but wash all parts of your hands, including fingernails and your wrists, too.

2. Separating
When you're chopping foods, separate your chopping boards. It doesn't matter if ithey are made of plastic or wood, in the words of Offspring you've got to keep them separated! Use different boards for raw meat, cooked meat and vegetables.
Use disposable wipes to clean up spills, so you're not spreading germs around your kitchen with dirty old sponges.

3. Cooking
When it comes to cooking it's really important to prepare, and clean, your food properly. Don't wash meat, that will just splash bacteria around your kitchen. It is important though to wash vegetables, particularly those that have dirt on them. Dirt can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so make sure you wash them before you even start cooking.

4. Chilling
Your fridge can often be your best friend for keeping a kitchen hygienic. Set your fridge to four degrees and your freezer to minus 18 degrees. When you've got food sitting on the bench, don't leave it there for too long. As soon as it stops steaming, cover it and stick it in the fridge.

So there you have it. Four simple things to remember to keep your kitchen clean and hygienic and you and your family safe from nasty bacteria.

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