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Color-Coded Cutting Boards

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Avoid food-borne illness by keeping foods apart.

By Stacy Fraser, Test Kitchen Manager, EatingWell

Food-borne illness, such as E. coli and salmonella, can be spread when bacteria-infected uncooked foods come in contact with cooked or ready-to-eat foods, such as fruits and raw vegetables. To help minimize cross-contamination in professional and home kitchens alike, it’s a good idea to have separate cutting boards designated for fresh produce, uncooked meats, seafood and poultry. Having a set of different colored cutting boards on hand makes it easy to keep straight which is which: you can use a red board for meat, a green board for fruits and veggies, a blue board for cooked foods, etc. We especially like the USDA-approved, stain- and warp-resistant, dishwasher-safe, long-lasting plastic boards from the cutting board company. The 6-board set with drying stand pictured here is available for $98 (cuttingboardcompany.com) and comes complete with a color-coded guide to help you remember what board to use for what foods. The cutting boards are also available individually starting at $11.35 each.