Keeping Foods
Safe at Home
Of the millions of cases of
foodborne illness that occur each
year, most can be prevented. The U.
S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
advises using these strategies to
keep foods safe at home:
Buy and use a food thermometer.
It's the only way to know
if meat, poultry and fish are cooked
safely. You can't tell just by
looking.
Use an appliance thermometer in
the refrigerator and check to make
sure that the temperature is 40 °F
or below. In the freezer, make sure
the thermometer reads 0 °F or below.
Bacteria grow rapidly at
temperatures above
40
°F. If the power goes out
you will know what temperatures were
reached and will be able to make
informed decisions about the safety
of food in the refrigerator and
freezer.
Do not leave pizza sitting out on
the table or a "doggie" bag in the
car overnight. Foods should
not be left out more than two hours
at room temperature or 1 hour if it
is over 90
°F.
When in doubt, throw it out.
Do not defrost a turkey in the
garage or in the trunk of the car.
The only safe way to
defrost food is in the refrigerator,
in cold water or in the microwave.
Wash hands and all food
preparation surfaces with soap and
water before and after touching raw
meat, poultry or fish.
Bacteria on raw meat, fish or
poultry can contaminate other foods
such as bread or lettuce that will
not be cooked.
Do not feed "leftovers" or
"take-out" food that's no longer fit
for people to pets. Animals
can also be stricken with foodborne
illnesses.
Do not leave "take-out" or
"ready-to-eat" food in the
refrigerator so long that it's
forgotten. You can’t tell
by looking at or smelling if a food
is unsafe. Throw it away after three
days and never taste a food when you
don't know what it is or how long it
has been in the refrigerator!
Do not lick the spoon or the bowl
of homemade cookie dough or cake
batter made with raw eggs.
Even one taste of raw dough could
contain harmful Salmonella
bacteria resulting in a very
unpleasant and potentially dangerous
illness.
When grilling outdoors, use a
clean plate for the cooked
hamburgers, hot dogs or other meat
or fish. Don’t use the same plate
that held raw meat! Juices
from raw meat, poultry or fish could
contaminate your cooked food.
Separate cooked foods from
uncooked foods when preparing a
meal, including using separate
cutting boards and knives.
Cross-contamination could cause
harmful bacteria from one food to be
transferred to another food.
Always put an ice pack in a
child's lunch box or a lunch bag
taken to the office if it includes
perishable foods, such as meat,
poultry, fish, milk or eggs.
Foods in lunch boxes
sitting in warm classrooms or
offices could result in foodborne
illnesses. Children under the age of
10 are the most vulnerable.
Do not "save money" by buying
dented cans or cracked jars.
Never use food from damaged
containers. This applies to
containers that are leaking, bulging
or badly dented. Do not use food
from cracked jars with loose or
bulging lids, canned food with a
foul odor or any container that
spurts liquid when you open it. It’s
not worth taking a risk to save a
few pennies.
Put meat and poultry packages in
plastic bags at the meat counter
before putting them in the grocery
cart. Leaking packages from
meat or poultry could contaminate
other foods in the cart, leading to
foodborne illnesses.
Do not guess about food safety
because the health of your family
and friends is at stake. This
information is supplied with the
understanding that no discrimination
is intended and no endorsement by
this site, please contact a
professional to be certain on any
health related issues.
|
