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Take-out Safety

Ordering takeout from your favorite restaurant? Here are a few simple tips to keep you safe during the coronovirus pandemic.

Order from restaurants you know and trust.
If a restaurant’s cleanliness was questionable before this pandemic, it’s probably not the time to give it a try. Opt for restaurants you know practice safe food handling.

Call the restaurant to see if they offer in-house delivery.
Many restaurants are now employing their servers as delivery drivers – instead of delivering your food to your table, they are delivering to your front door. This supports the restaurant plus minimizes the number of people in contact with your order.

Avoid direct contact.
Have the delivery person place the order at your door and take several steps back before you pick it up. If you have to sign a check, have your own pen handy.

Wipe down containers and wash your hands after handling food packaging.
I keep a container of Clorox wipes on my kitchen counter just for this purpose.

Use your own dishes and cutlery.
Do not eat out of to-go packaging. Transfer all food items to your own serving pieces.

Make sure that food remains at a safe temperature.
If not eating it immediately, place perishable items in the refrigerator. I suggest pre-heating your oven around delivery time so that you warm your meal up to the correct temperature before serving.

Store leftovers in your own containers.
Dispose of delivery containers immediately. The virus can live on these surfaces for days.

Please tip your delivery driver.
Tips may be their primary source of income right now.

And don’t forget - it is especially important to wash your hands before sitting down to eat.

This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Stay Safe and stay well.

Jennifer Chandler graduated at the top of her class from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She is a full-time mom to two daughters in Memphis, Tennessee, and is a freelance food writer, restaurant consultant, and author of four cookbooks The Southern Pantry Cookbook, Simply Salads, Simply Suppers, and Simply Grilling.