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To keep food safety a priority in your home, always remember these 4 basic food handling tips.
Clean - Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get on hands, cutting boards, knives and countertops. Frequent cleaning can keep that from happening.
• Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.
• Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten.
• Rub firm-skin fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrub with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing with tap water.
Separate - Cross-contamination is how bacteria spreads. Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.
• Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separte one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
• Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags and in your refrigerator.
• Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.
Cook - Even for experienced cooks, the improper heating and preparation of food means bacteria can survive.
• Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods, Make sure that meat, poultry, egg dishes, casseroles and other foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature. (See temperature chart)
• Cook ground meat or ground poultry until it reaches a safe internal temperature. Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness.
• Cook eggs until the yolk and the white are firm. Only use recipes in which eggs are cooked or heated thoroughly.
• Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating.
Chill - Bacteria spreads fastest at temperatures between 40F and 140F, so chilling food properly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
• Chill leftovers and takeout foods within 2 hours. Keep the refrigerator at 40F or below and use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature.
• Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the store.
• Never defrost food at room temperature. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water (changing out water every 30 minutes), and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
Source: Be Food Safe
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Seasonal Food Safety Tips -
A true “Grill Master” knows it is important to Be Food Safe to ensure an enjoyable cookout for all. Always remember to:
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
- Marinate foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Sauce used to marinate raw meat, poultry or seafood should not be used on cooked foods unless it is boiled before applying.
- If using charcoal, heat coals on your grill for 20-30 minutes, or until the coals are lightly coated with ash before putting on food.
- If you partially cook food in the microwave or oven to reduce grilling time, do so immediately before food goes on the hot grill.
- When it’s time to grill meat or poultry, cook it to a safe internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer. You can’t tell food is cooked safely by how it looks!
- Always use a clean plate and clean utensils. Cooked food should not be placed on the same plate that previously held raw foods including meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.
- Never let raw meat, poultry, eggs, cooked food or cut fresh fruits or vegetables sit at room temperature more than two hours before putting them in the refrigerator or freezer (one hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
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