Thawing Meat
It is always best to thaw meat in the refrigerator. Meat allowed to thaw on the counter top can come to room temperature on the outside while the inside is still frozen. This allows bacteria to grow on the outside.
If you don’t have time to thaw the meat in the refrigerator, thaw it in cold water changing the water every 30 minutes. The less time at room temperature the better!
Ground Meat
You may have read all the recent articles about people getting sick and even dying after eating hamburger. Well the best way to prevent this problem is to cook your hamburger to well done. No pinkness should be left in your meat and all juices should be clear. It you get a hamburger that is pink at a restaurant, send it back immediately. Their liability insurance company would have a fit if they knew they were serving pink hamburger!
Holding Food
As a rule of thumb, never leave food out at room temperature for more than two hours. It you are holding food for longer times it must be held at either refrigeration temperatures or kept piping hot (over 140 degrees). Remember‑the microorganisms that make our bodies sick prefer to live at body temperature. That is why our bodies run fevers, to fight those microorganisms. The principal is the same in food. Keep the temperature up or down to limit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Sanitizing
Clorox is the best and cheapest sanitizing agent available. In a spray bottle mix four teaspoons of Clorox to a quart of water. Spray this mix on all cutting surfaces after they have been washed down. Rinsing is not necessary unless you are going to use the surface immediately. This is especially important for cutting boards and chop blocks. When we had formica we sprayed the whole counter.
Clorox is not safe for some solid surface countertops, so look for a sanitizing cleaner that is safe. Our Quartz countertops recommend a Lysol product.
Cross Contamination
It is very easy to pass disease causing bacteria from one food to another if you are not careful. Anytime you handle raw meat you should wash and sanitize the area completely before working with any other food. It is easy to forget and season your chicken on the cutting board then cut up your salad on the same cutting board, without sanitizing. All the microorganisms that were present on the meat, but will be killed by cooking will now be on the salad which will not be cooked!
Another time to be careful is when you are cutting up your cooked meat. Did you season your raw meat on the same cutting board? Did you sanitize it? If not, all those microorganisms that you just killed by cooking are back!
Handwashing
The single most important way to limit the spread of disease is by handwashing Wash your hands before you handle food and frequently during the food preparation process.
There is a right and a wrong way to wash your hands. Pay particular attention to …
Better yet, Listen to Alton Brown!
How To Recognize Food Borne Illness
• Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, frequent nausea, followed by a mild fever, headache, chills and dehydration occurring 12 to 48 hours after exposure to undercooked poultry and eggs. Illness usually lasts 2 ‑ 6 days and deaths are uncommon except in the very young, very old and the immuno-compromised. Immuno-compromised individuals include the elderly, people with cancer, people taking certain drugs, the very young, and people with various diseases of the immune system. (Salmonella and Campylobacter)
• Abdominal pain, bloody urine or diarrhea , and vomiting occurring 3‑9 days following exposure to undercooked ground beef. Illness lasts 2‑9 days and death can occur if not treated. (E. coli 0157:H7)
• Mild flu‑like symptoms, meningitis and blood poisoning in the immuno-compromised, and spontaneous abortion in pregnant women, occurring 1 day to 3 weeks following exposure to raw milk, cheese made from raw milk, undercooked meat, and meat salads. Illness duration depends on treatment but there is a high fatality rate in immuno‑compromised individuals. (Listeria)
• Symptoms similar to appendicitis occurring 24 ‑ 48 hours following exposure to improperly processed dairy products or undercooked pork. Illness can last 2 ‑ 3 days. Chronic infections of yersinia can cause arthritis in some individuals. (Yersinia)
• Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, blurred or double vision, trouble swallowing or speaking and trouble breathing following exposure to home canned foods. Symptoms usually appear 12 to 48 hours after eating. Botulism can be fatal if not treated. Toxin can be destroyed by boiling and all home canned foods should be boiled for at least 10 minutes. (Clostridium botulinum)
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, sweating, chills or prostration occurring from 1 ‑ 6 hours after eating cooked meats, meat and vegetable salads, cream bakery products and other protein foods. Illness lasts 1‑2 days and recovery is complete. (Staphlyococcus aureus)