Safety - Food Handling Tips

Safe Food Handling Tips

Safe Food Temps:

SAFE MINIMUM INTERNAL TEMPERATURES
Whole poultry: 165 °F
Poultry breasts: 165 °F
Ground poultry: 165 °F
Hamburgers, beef: 160 °F

Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks, roasts and chops):
Medium rare 145 °F
Medium 160 °F
All cuts of pork: 160 °F


Utensils:

Wash tongs/spatula/tray/knife often.

Use separate tongs for handling raw meat and cooked meat.

"I use color coded cutting boards, perhaps I am going to use color coded tongs (raw meat, in between meat and done meat tongs). I still will wash frequently!"


Freezing Foods:

Vacuum seal chicken, beef, and pork.

Freeze fish in water.

Never refreeze thawed meat.

Okay to refreeze cooked meat.


Handling Meats:

Put packages of raw meat and poultry into plastic bags

When shopping, buy cold food like meat and poultry last, right before checkout

Separate raw meat and poultry from other food in your shopping cart to guard against cross-contamination which can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on other food

Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water

Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter

If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it

When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don't put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry.


Misc. Tips:

When putting food in a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible. One way to do so is fill the sink with cold water, seal the bag most of the way leaving about 1 inch open. Now place the bag completely in the water keeping the open portion above water. The water pressure on the bag will push the air out. Now complete the sealing process. And the bag is ready for the freezer.

Completely defrost meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly