“Cook” and “Chill” are our food safety topics for today. When getting ready to prepare your meats, it’s very important to use a cutting board that is able to be washed and if possible, in the dishwasher. It’s especially important to use separate cutting boards for fresh produce, bread, and your meats. These basic practices are essential for prevention of contamination.
In addition, it’s essential to cook your meats to the proper temperature in order to prevent contamination from undercooked meats. If you do not own a thermometer, I want to encourage you to get one! The USDA recommends these temperatures when cooking meats:
Fresh ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork cooked medium 160 F
Fresh ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork cooked medium rare 145 F
Fresh ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork cooked well done 170 F
Fresh pork roasts, steaks, and chops cooked medium 160 F
Fresh pork roasts, steaks, and chops cooked medium 170 F
Fresh pork roasts, steaks, and chops cooked medium 160 F
Ham before eating 160 F
Ham, fully cooked, to reheat 140 F
Ground chicken/turkey 165 F
Whole chicken/turkey 180 F
Poultry breasts, roasts 170 F
When refrigerating foods, it is important to remember to store food for the proper amount of time.
Here is a list of general guidelines for refrigeration:
Eggs in shell: 3-5 weeks
Egg substitutes: Opened-3 days, Unopened-10 days
Cooked casseroles, gravy with broth, patties, nuggets, soups, and stews: 3-4 days
Luncheon meats: Unopened-2 weeks, Opened-3 to 5 days
Most whole cooked meats: 1-2 days
Food held at temperatures above 40 F for more than two hours is not safe to eat. If food is in temperatures above 80F, it is only good for one hour before refrigerating. It is also important to maintain a clean refrigerator and at the correct temperature. Always cover your food, and be sure to maintain a temperature between 32-40 F.
We hope this helps you as you prepare your foods for parties an picnics!
-Contributed by Maria Block, WHS Junior Health Sciences Student under the guidance of Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
References
http://www.fmi.org/consumer/foodkeeper/index.cfm?fuseaction=refriger
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/is_it_done_yet/brochure_text/index.asp
