Food Prep And Safety

There are four steps to keep you and others safe from food born illnesses. These steps are clean, separate, cook, and chill. Did you know it's estimated 1 in 6 Americans will get sick from food poisoning this year? The following are preventative steps you can take to help keep you from being part of that statistic:

Clean: Before you even begin cooking, start off with a clean slate. This means making sure your hands are washed and dried with warm water and soap before and after handling any raw foods. This also refers to cooking surfaces and utensils. Make sure to use warm water and soap on countertops, pots, pans, cutting boards, utensils, and any other items touching food. Lastly, wash fruits and vegetables under running water just before cutting or eating (no need to use soap).

Separate: Separate raw meats from all other foods so their juices, which may contain harmful bacteria, do not drip onto other foods. When storing in the refrigerator, place meats in the bottom of the refrigerator in containers, plates, or plastic bags so that their juices will not leak onto other foods. These raw meats also need their own cutting board to prevent cross-contamination between meats and fresh produce. Also, don't reuse marinades that contained raw meat on cooked foods. Additionally, don't plate cooked food on plates that touched raw meat. It’s not worth risking the chance of food poisoning!

Cook: Don’t rely on your eyes to assess if meats are cooked to the right temperature. The only way to know for certain if a food is cooked to the right temperature is to use a thermometer. When using the thermometer, place it in the thickest part of the meat. The below foods list the temperature required to ensure that harmful bacteria have been destroyed:

Beef, Pork, Veal, or Lamb: 145 degrees Fahrenheit, with a 3-minute “rest time” once removed from the heat.
Ground Meat: 160 degrees Fahrenheit

Poultry: 165 degrees Fahrenheit

Eggs or Egg Dishes: 160 degrees Fahrenheit (eggs should not be runny)
Fin Fish: 145 degrees Fahrenheit

Chill: Refrigerate foods promptly. When you get home from the grocery store, place perishables in the refrigerator. Bacteria grow more rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, so make sure to refrigerate leftovers quickly before the temperatures enter the “danger zone.” With large pots of food or larger portions of meats make sure to cut the food into smaller pieces, place it in sealed containers, and refrigerate. Even if you are in a hurry, never thaw meat on the counter or in hot water. Instead, thaw meat in a container in the refrigerator, microwave, or cool water.

Make sure to implement these 4 steps into your kitchen to enjoy your meals safely!