Cooking Safety Steps

Avoid cross-contamination.:

Don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and
poultry. Use one cutting board for raw meats, another for fruits and
vegetables that won't be cooked.


Always serve food on clean platters:

Now, you are probably thinking - "I know that! Why is she saying that
to me?" But think? Have you every taken raw meat to the barbecue on a
plate and then put the cooked meat back on the same plate to serve?

Don't do this unless you have washed the dish in between. Raw meat has
bacteria that will spread to the cooked meat.


Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold: COLD

Hot Foods - 140 degrees F. and above

Cold Foods - 40 degrees F. or below

If you have hot food/foods in the oven, put an accurate cooking or
meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat or center of your
casserole. Adjust the oven temperature so that the food stays at an
internal temperature of 140 degrees F. or above. An oven temperature
of 200 to 250 degrees F. should be sufficient to hold the food. Cover
the dishes or wrap with aluminum foil to prevent dryness.

Do not leave food at room temperature longer than 2 hours (1 hour when
summer room temperatures are hot).

Thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Also make sure
that meat juices can't drip onto other foods.

To store hot foods, refrigerate immediately in shallow containers to
cool them more quickly.


Prevent Food Poisoning - When in doubt, throw it out!

Put food away as soon as you are done with it. Be sure to discard any
food that has an off-color or order, or food that has warmed to room
temperature for an unknown period of time.

If you have any question in your mind about the freshness or safety of
eating a food product, throw it out. Don't guess; just don't eat
something that you're not sure about. It is better to be safe than
sorry!

"Marwa Alabdoli" <> Cooking Safety Steps
>
> Avoid cross-contamination.:

> Don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and
> poultry. Use one cutting board for raw meats, another for fruits and
> vegetables that won't be cooked.

> Always serve food on clean platters:
>
> Now, you are probably thinking - "I know that! Why is she saying that
> to me?" But think? Have you every taken raw meat to the barbecue on a
> plate and then put the cooked meat back on the same plate to serve?
>
> Don't do this unless you have washed the dish in between. Raw meat has
> bacteria that will spread to the cooked meat.


> Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold: COLD

> Hot Foods - 140 degrees F. and above

> Cold Foods - 40 degrees F. or below

> If you have hot food/foods in the oven, put an accurate cooking or
> meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat or center of your
> casserole. Adjust the oven temperature so that the food stays at an
> internal temperature of 140 degrees F. or above. An oven temperature
> of 200 to 250 degrees F. should be sufficient to hold the food. Cover
> the dishes or wrap with aluminum foil to prevent dryness.
>
> Do not leave food at room temperature longer than 2 hours (1 hour when
> summer room temperatures are hot).
>
> Thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Also make sure
> that meat juices can't drip onto other foods.
>
> To store hot foods, refrigerate immediately in shallow containers to
> cool them more quickly.
>
>
> Prevent Food Poisoning - When in doubt, throw it out!
>
> Put food away as soon as you are done with it. Be sure to discard any
> food that has an off-color or order, or food that has warmed to room
> temperature for an unknown period of time.
>
> If you have any question in your mind about the freshness or safety of
> eating a food product, throw it out. Don't guess; just don't eat
> something that you're not sure about. It is better to be safe than
> sorry!

A few thoughts need to be added here. Do you turn meat on the grill with
tongs, a fork or whatever and then when they are done, use the same tool to
plate them? I see lots of folks do that and don't know of anyone who died
from it but it really is a nasty sort of food handling.
Putting hot food in the refrigerator is not a good idea. Better is to
set the container in a sink with an inch or so of cold water and some ice.
I keep little bottles of frozen water, cover the food with wax paper and
push a bottle down in the center of the food to chill even faster.
Food safety is a big deal around here. I've become concerned about
fresh produce such as celery and lettuce. Is there a good way to clean it?
Polly

On Fri, 3 Jun 2011 03:06:15 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking, Marwa
Alabdoli > wrote,
>Now, you are probably thinking - "I know that! Why is she saying that
>to me?"

Yeah, that is what I'm thinking. Did somebody ask? Threads usually
begin with somebody asking a question.

>If you have hot food/foods in the oven, put an accurate cooking or
>meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat or center of your
>casserole. Adjust the oven temperature so that the food stays at an
>internal temperature of 140 degrees F. or above. An oven temperature
>of 200 to 250 degrees F. should be sufficient to hold the food.

If the food is above 140 degrees and the oven is at 140 degrees,
there is no way the food can cool below the oven temperature.
Physics. An oven temperature of 140 should be sufficient to hold
the food.