Meats, dairy foods and eggs spoil quickly. These foods contain bacteria that can cause
illness if the foods are not stored or cooked properly. Summertime
picnics and grilling outdoors also require special precautions to keep
food safe for everyone. The Holidays and
preparing a turkey or hardboiled eggs for a celebration also present
unique challenges for keeping food safe and preventing the spread of
illness.
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Wash your hands often with soap and hot water.
Dry your hands with a paper towel. Washing your hands is the best way to avoid food poisoning.
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Keep foods that spoil easily refrigerated or frozen until they are used.
Thaw frozen
food in the refrigerator or in a microwave. Marinate food in the refrigerator.
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Keep the temperature of your refrigerator
41 degrees or cooler.
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Check foods. Don’t buy food if the package is damaged.
Throw away foods that
don’t look and smell fresh. Throw away eggs with cracked shells.
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Clean cutting boards and knives after each
use, or use disposable cutting boards.
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Don’t use marinades for dips or basting after they have been used on raw meat.
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Make sure raw meat juices do not leak on to other foods in the refrigerator.
Thaw frozen
meats in a pan on the lowest shelf.
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Use a meat thermometer to be sure meats are safe to eat.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a safe
cooking temperatures on their website. (exit
DHS)
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Cook all seafood to 145 degrees. Do not eat raw seafood.
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Cook eggs until the whites are firm and the yolks begin to harden.
Don’t eat foods
that contain raw eggs. Pasteurized eggs can be used to make eggnog or mayonnaise.
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Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold until they are served.
To prevent illness hot
foods should be held at 140 degrees and cold foods should be held at
41 degrees until
served.
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Cool large containers of food quickly before storing.
You can place the container in ice
water or divide the food into small containers before placing them in the refrigerator or
freezer.
