Food Safety at Home
Simple food safety for home cooks: the 5–60°C danger zone, the 2-hour/4-hour rule, safe cooking temperatures, leftovers, rice and raw eggs.
Nobody wants to be the reason the dinner party spends the night in the bathroom. Keeping food safe at home comes down to a handful of easy habits. Australia's food safety experts boil it down to four ideas: keep it clean, keep it separate, cook it thoroughly, and keep it cold or keep it hot 1. Here's what each one means in a real kitchen.
Why it matters
The Food Safety Information Council estimates Australia has 4.67 million cases of food poisoning each year, leading to 47,900 hospital stays and 38 deaths 3. Most cases are mild, but young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system can get seriously ill 14.
Keep it clean
Germs live in soil, water, animals and people, so clean hands and benches matter. Wash your hands with warm soapy water and dry them before you handle food, often while you cook, and always after touching raw meat 1. Clean benches, boards, utensils and dishes with hot soapy water before, during and after cooking 1.
Wash fresh fruit and vegetables under running water. Skip the soap and detergent; they aren't made to be eaten and may be unsafe on food 1.
Never wash raw chicken. It doesn't remove bacteria. It splashes them round your sink and bench 1.
Keep it separate
Bacteria from raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs can jump to salad, bread and cooked food. Use one board and knife for raw meat and another for anything that won't be cooked, like salad 1. Don't put cooked meat back on the plate that held it raw 1.
In the fridge, keep raw meat in sealed containers on the bottom shelf, below cooked and ready-to-eat food, so juices can't drip down 2.
Cook it thoroughly
Cooking kills almost all harmful bacteria. A cheap food thermometer takes out the guesswork. FSANZ says cooking food to 70°C in the centre generally makes it safe, and recommends at least 75°C in the centre for 1:
- all poultry, whole or minced
- anything minced or rolled: sausages, burgers, mince and rolled roasts
- liver and other offal.
Why? Mincing spreads surface bacteria through the middle.
Keep it cold or keep it hot
Bacteria grow fastest between 5°C and 60°C, the "temperature danger zone" 12. So:
- Keep your fridge at 5°C or colder and your freezer at −18°C or colder 2. A fridge thermometer costs a few dollars.
- Keep hot food steaming hot, above 60°C, until you serve it 1.
- Thaw frozen food in the fridge or microwave, never on the bench 1.
The 2-hour/4-hour rule
This is the one to remember. Add up the total time food has spent out of the fridge, including prep and serving time 45:
| Time between 5°C and 60°C | What to do | |---|---| | Less than 2 hours | Use it, or put it back in the fridge | | 2 to 4 hours | Use it now, don't put it back | | More than 4 hours | Throw it out |
Leftovers
The NSW Food Authority advises 4:
- Cover leftovers and get them in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours.
- Split big batches into shallow containers so they cool faster.
- Eat fridge leftovers within 3 days, and cooked rice and pasta within 2 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months, defrost in the fridge, and use within 24 hours.
- Reheat until steaming hot, at least 60°C. Stir microwaved food so there are no cold spots.
- Reheat rice and pasta only once.
Why rice needs extra care
Rice can carry Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that forms spores and toxins that survive cooking 6. If cooked rice sits around warm, they multiply. FSANZ says to get cooked rice into the fridge as soon as it stops steaming, and the same goes for pasta and other cooked starchy dishes 6. It's why fried rice is made from rice that went into the fridge promptly, not rice left on the stove overnight.
Eggs
Raw or lightly cooked eggs can carry Salmonella. Homemade mayonnaise, aioli, tiramisu, mousse and raw cake batter all count 7. Children under 2, pregnant women, people over 70 and anyone with a weakened immune system should avoid them 7. Use pasteurised egg for raw-egg dishes, keep eggs in their carton in the fridge, and skip any that are cracked or dirty 7.
Dates on labels
A Use by date is about safety: don't eat food after it. A Best before date is about quality: food is usually still safe after it if it's been stored properly and shows no signs of spoiling 12.
When to see a doctor
Many cases are mild and pass quickly, but the Food Safety Information Council's advice is simple: if you get food poisoning, seek medical attention, especially for young children, older people and anyone pregnant or unwell, for whom it can be serious 3. Keep sipping fluids in the meantime.
Want to put this into practice? Our knife skills guide covers safe cutting and separate boards, and our pantry staples guide covers storing dry goods.
Sources
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, "Food safety basics", updated 8 July 2025. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/prevention-of-foodborne-illness/food-safety-basics
- NSW Food Authority, "Keeping food safe". https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumer/keeping-food-safe
- Food Safety Information Council. https://foodsafety.asn.au/
- NSW Food Authority, "Leftovers". https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumer/food-extra-care/leftovers
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, "2-hour / 4-hour rule", updated 30 September 2025. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/business/food-safety/2-hour-4-hour-rule
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, "Bacillus cereus in food", updated 26 November 2025. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/prevention-of-foodborne-illness/bacteria-foodborne-illness/bacillus-cereus
- NSW Food Authority, "Higher risk dishes" (eggs). https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumer/food-extra-care/eggs-enjoy-safely/higher-risk-dishes