Which of the following methods can help prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods?

Using gloves, tongs, or deli papers is an effective method for preventing bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods because it creates a barrier between your hands and the food. This helps to minimize the risk of transferring harmful bacteria or pathogens that may be present on your skin to the food that will not be cooked further before consumption.

The use of gloves is particularly important in food safety, as they are designed to be disposable and can easily be replaced, thereby ensuring that any contaminants from previous tasks do not transfer to ready-to-eat products. Similarly, tongs and deli papers allow for handling food without direct contact, further safeguarding the food from contamination.

Other options mentioned, while relevant to food safety, do not specifically address the issue of bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods as effectively as using gloves, tongs, or deli papers. For instance, cooking food thoroughly can kill pathogens but does not prevent cross-contamination before the food is cooked and consumed. Only using utensils when serving focuses on serving practices but lacks the preventive physical barrier that gloves or tools provide. Rubbing hands with sanitizer is a good hygiene practice but does not eliminate the risk associated with bare hand contact if proper barriers are not used while handling food.