Cross-contamination in the kitchen occurs when you use the same tools and cutting boards to prepare things like raw meat or eggs that you use to prepare fresh produce or cooked foods, contaminating the food you eat with the bacteria from these raw items. To avoid cross-contamination, follow these safety tips.

1. It starts at the grocery store. Although cross-contamination is usually thought of in the kitchen, it can also happen before you even get your foods home. When shopping at the grocery store, be sure to package raw meats tightly in plastic and put them in a separate bag from other groceries. Also make sure that your carton of eggs doesn’t contain any broken eggs that could leak on other foods.
2. Use separate cutting boards. One of the most important ways to prevent food poisoning from cross-contamination is by using different cutting boards for meat and other items. Properly label each board, and never cut fresh vegetables, fruits, or breads on the cutting board that you use for meat or eggs. Also, clean your meat cutting board thoroughly and replace it often.
3. Cook safely. When cooking, never use the same tools to flip raw chicken that you use to stir-fry vegetables, as this can spread bacteria from the raw meat. Throw away any marinades that meat was once soaking in, and always serve cooked foods on a clean, new plate.

Safe Food Handling: What You Need to Know [FDA]
Separate To Keep Food Safe [Home Food Safety]
Cutting Board Safety [Home Food Safety]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/honorphotobar

BB King. Miranda Lambert. Garth Brooks. They've all taken the stage at Gruene Hall since 1975, the year that the dance hall's owner decided to book only performers who penned their own songs. The hall's roots stretch back about a century before this game-changing decision, though. The 6,000-square-foot dance hall was actually built back in 1878, and has seen everything from high school graduations to pitches by traveling salesmen.

Even as contemporary performers take the stage at Gruene Hall today, clues of its rich history linger. For one thing, its soaring tin roof remains in place. It even still boasts the same design as it did back then: front bar, back stage, massive beer garden, and walls that open on the side of the building. Vintage signs from the 1930s and '40s cover the walls around the stage, too. So when you're in the mood for some dancing and boozing in an old-school atmosphere, check out New Braunfels' legendary Gruene Hall.

Gruene Hall
1281 Gruene Road
New Braunfels, TX 78130
(830) 606-1281
gruenehall.com
www.yelp.com/biz/gruene-hall-new-braunfels-3

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr denise carbonell

Many people are jumping in on the French press trend because it makes barista-quality coffee quickly and easily right at home. If you own a French press, however, you might be surprised to find that you can use it for much more than just brewing your morning cup of joe. Here are a few unique uses for your French press.

• Making tea. This one may be fairly obvious, but many people don’t realize that they can also use a French press for tea. Simply fill the bottom with tea bags or loose leaf tea, then brew as usual.
• Frothing milk. If you consider frothed milk a luxury of the coffee shop, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that you can froth your own milk by simply adding it to the French press and pumping it up and down a few times.
• As a strainer. Use your French press to strain just about anything, even pesky quinoa that usually slips through the cracks. Just add things like spinach, fresh fruit, or even shrimp and dispense the water. Just make sure to thoroughly clean the press afterward!
• Infusing oils. Mix herbs and spices with olive oil and heat the mixture in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the mixture to cool, then transfer it to the French press and strain out the herbs.

5 More Uses For Your French Press! [The Kitchn]
14 {Other} Ways to Use a French Coffee Press [Preparedness Mama]
Use Your French Press to Make Whipped Cream [LifeHacker]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr yearofthegreensheep