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Tag: Food Safety

Food Thermometers – A Must Have in the Kitchen

Posted on by djbechard

Where food safety is concerned, a food thermometer is a must-have, multi-use tool in the kitchen.

It is one of the most important tools consumers can use to know when food is cooked properly for safe consumption. It’s useful for meat items, casseroles and even baked goods. Using a subjective method – such as ground meat color – can be misleading and lead to foodborne illness. It can help with assuring the quality of a food item and reduce over-cooking.

For consumers who need to buy a food thermometer, the digital type is recommended. Digital food thermometers read the temperature at the tip of the temperature probe. They also read temperature quickly, and come in a simple handheld design.

Consumers who already own a food thermometer can calibrate them routinely to make sure they are still giving accurate readings. The best method is to calibrate your thermometer using ice water and boiling water to check cold and hot readings. Dial faced thermometers can be adjusted if needed. Digital thermometers should be replaced unless it came with instructions on how to adjust.

Along with food thermometers, place an appliance thermometer inside your refrigerator and freezer to monitor temperatures in those appliances. These can be helpful during a power outage to determine the safety of your food. Another suggestion is an oven thermometer to know if your oven is heating properly.

By: Brenda Langdon

Back to School Food Safety

Posted on by djbechard

Today’s lunch bags are made with a high tech material that kids can use to keep their food cold so they can have a safe lunch when they’re ready to eat it.

The insulated versions will keep food cool for about four hours depending on the bag, though packing the bag with ice packs or frozen foods is important in determining how cold the food will be.

It’s best to have at least two frozen packs in the bag.  Ice packs come in many different sizes so they easily fit the lunch bag you use. Or you can freeze juice boxes beforehand, place them in the bag, and they’ll be mostly thawed out when you’re ready to use them.

Place the frozen pack or juice box directly next to the item that needs to be kept cold – such as a meat sandwich with cheese. Chips and most whole fruit don’t require refrigeration while some vegetables may need to be kept cool. Ask the school if they have a refrigerator for lunch bags to help keep food cold.

Parents should plan their children’s menu when shopping each week and prepare as much of the lunch the night before as possible. Getting kids involved with choosing foods will make them more likely to eat them. Rinse fresh fruit and vegetables with water and prepare any fruits and vegetables so they are ready to eat.

To encourage food safety, put a note in their lunch bag to remind children to wash their hands before eating – 20 seconds with warm, soapy water – and pack disposable wipes in the lunch bag as an extra food safety step.

By: Brenda Langdon

Let’s Fire Up The Grill!

Posted on by djbechard

July is grilling month! Many people are capitalizing on the warm weather to fire up their grills to spend family time outdoors. Before you grill, take a look at the steps below to ensure your family’s grilling will lead to a happy and nutritious experience!

  • Always wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before handling food.
  • Keep separate utensils, cutting boards, knives, etc. for raw meats and ready to eat foods such as vegetables and fruits that you will not cook.
  • Never serve grilled food on the same unwashed platter that held raw meat. If you want to use the same platter, wash the platter thoroughly with soap and water before reusing.
  • Never thaw meat at room temperature. Visit “The Big Thaw” for safe defrosting methods.
  • Always use a food thermometer to ensure food has reached a safe internal temperature. Cook poultry (whole or ground) to 165 F. Cook beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops and roasts to 145 F. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. Cook ground beef, pork, lamb and veal to 160 F. Cook fish to 145 F.
  • Don’t forget that vegetables are delicious grilled! Large vegetables such as corn on the cob can be placed directly on the grill. Wrap chopped vegetables such as squash and onions, asparagus, and potatoes in aluminum foil before grilling.

World Food Safety Day is June 7th

Posted on by djbechard

With the recent high profile food recalls, people might be even more aware of the importance of food safety. June 7th is World Food Safety Day, which is a great time to review the 4 steps to keeping our food safe. These steps are: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. It’s incredibly important to understand the need of these 4 steps and to practice the tips from the CDC below every time you prepare food.

Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often.

  • Wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food and before eating.
  • Wash utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.
  • Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.

Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate.

  • Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat foods—unless you keep them separate.
    • Use separate cutting boards and plates for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
    • When grocery shopping, keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods.
    • Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the refrigerator.

Cook to the right temperature.

  • Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can make you sick. The only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer.
  • Use a food thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
    • Whole cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork, including fresh ham (raw): 145°F (then allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or eating)
    • Fish with fins: 145°F or cook until flesh is opaque
    • Ground meats, such as beef and pork: 160°F
    • All poultry, including ground chicken and turkey: 165°F
    • Leftovers and casseroles: 165°F
    • Microwave food thoroughly, use a food thermometer to make sure food reaches 165°F.

Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F.

  • Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below, your freezer at 0˚F or below.
  • Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours. If the food is exposed to temperatures above 90°F (like a hot car or picnic), refrigerate it within 1 hour.
  • Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never thaw foods on the counter because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.

By: Ashley Svaty

Holiday Food Safety

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

There’s a lot going on when it comes to planning, cooking, and cleaning up after a holiday meal. Keep in mind the following four steps to food safety during the upcoming holidays.

Clean:  Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Use paper towels or clean cloths to wipe up kitchen surfaces or spills. 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 item. A solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water may be used to sanitize washed surfaces and utensils.

Separate: Always use a clean cutting board. Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

Cook: Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, casseroles, and other food.

Chill: Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow small containers, within 2 hours at room temperature.

For more information about safe food handling, view our At-Home Safe Food Handling: It’s in Your Hands publication

By: Ashley Svaty

Dust Off Your Slow Cooker!

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

With a little planning, slow cookers can be utilized to ease mealtimes but it is important to keep food safety in mind when using these kitchen tools. Use the following tips when using your slow cooker this fall.

  • Before using your slow cooker, wash your hands, utensils, surfaces, and slow cooker.
  • Do not add frozen food to your slow cooker. If frozen food is used, it may not reach a safe temperature (140ᵒ F) quick enough which may allow harmful bacterial to grow.
  • Thaw food in the refrigerator a day before you cook it in your slow cooker.
  • Set the slow cooker on “high” for the first hour or preheat before placing food in the cooker. Then, lower to meet the recipe recommendations.
  • Do not use the “warm” setting to cook food, only use this setting when holding cooked food prior to serving.
  • The slow cooker should be filled no more than ¾ full. An overly full cooker will heat food too slowly.
  • Put vegetables in the slow cooker first then meat.
  • Do not lift the lid. This will slow the cooking process by reducing the internal temperature by 10-15ᵒ F each time.
  • Check temperatures with a food thermometer before serving. Roasts should check in at 145-160°F, poultry: 165ᵒ F, and soups, stews, and sauces: 165° F.
  • Place leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate quickly.

By: Ashley Svaty

Is it Safe to Refreeze Thawed Meat?

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) advises:

Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. 

If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3-4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.

DO NOT thaw meat at room temperature, such as on the kitchen counter.

Safety will depend on whether the raw product was handled properly before it was frozen, refrozen shortly after it was thawed, cooked to a safe temperature when it is eaten and handled safely if there are any leftovers.

Source:

Freezing and Food Safety: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), United States Department of Agriculture

By: Ashley Svaty