Serves: 5

Food Safety Basics

America’s food supply is one of the safest in the world. Farmers and ranchers, food processors, supermarkets and restaurants must follow strict rules and regulations while getting food to you. These requirements end, however, when the food goes into your shopping cart, leaves the store and goes to your kitchen. So why should we worry about food safety? Because most of the illnesses reported from "bad food" are caused by bacterial contamination.

Nearly all these cases can be linked to improper food handling, in our homes, supermarkets and restaurants, which means they could have been prevented. Microorganisms are with us always. They’re on us and on animals, in the air and water and on raw food. Some bacteria are useful, such as those that cause cheese and beer to ferment. But other bacteria cause foods to spoil, and even others cause food poisoning.

Beware the "Danger Zone"

The main difference between food-spoiling and food-poisoning bacteria is the temperatures at which they survive and grow. Bacteria that cause food to spoil can grow at refrigerator temperatures (below 40°). They usually make the food look or smell bad, which is an obvious clue to throw it out. Most bacteria that cause food poisoning don’t grow at refrigerator temperatures. The best temperature for these microorganisms to reproduce is around 100°. But the actual temperature varies with the organism and may range from 40° to 140°, or the "danger zone."

These are pathogens, the type of bacteria that if eaten may lead to illness, disease or even death. To prevent these bacteria from becoming harmful, they must be stopped from multiplying. Pathogenic bacteria are among the most important organisms to control because of the illness they cause in humans. The majority of them are invisible attackers they can’t be seen, smelled or tasted. If contaminated food is eaten, people most often get sick within 4 to 48 hours, and it’s not always easy to tell if the problem is the flu or food poisoning. Use your judgment to determine if and when medical care is needed. Call a doctor or go to a hospital immediately if symptoms are severe, such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever or cramps, or if the victim is very young, elderly, pregnant, has a weakened immune system or is already ill.

Three Basic Rules for Food Safety

The majority of food-poisoning bacteria can be controlled by cleaning, cooking and refrigeration. Follow these three rules to the letter when preparing food:

1. Keep everything in the kitchen clean.
2. Keep hot foods hot.
3. Keep cold foods cold.

Keep the Kitchen Clean

1. Clean countertops, appliances, utensils and dishes with hot, soapy water or other cleaners, such as those labeled "antibacterial."
2. Clean refrigerator surfaces regularly with hot, soapy water.
3. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before handling food. Twenty seconds is about how long it takes to recite or sing the alphabet. If you stop handling food to do something else, wash your hands again--especially after blowing your nose, using the bathroom, changing diapers or touching pets.
4. If you sneeze or cough while preparing food, turn your face away and cover your mouth and nose with a tissue wash your hands afterward.
5. Wash your hands and all utensils and surfaces with hot, soapy water after contact with raw poultry, meat, fish or seafood.
6. If you have any kind of skin cut or infection on your hands, cover it with a bandage or wear protective plastic or rubber gloves.
7. Hard plastic or glass cutting boards, because they’re less porous than wooden boards, are recommended as the safest for raw poultry, meat, fish and seafood. Do not use wooden cutting boards for raw poultry, meat, fish or seafood. Wooden cutting boards can be used for other foods. When used regularly, sanitize all cutting boards once per week with a mixture of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach to 1 quart (4 cups) of water. Rinse with fresh water and let air dry or pat dry with paper towels. After each use, always wash your cutting board with hot, soapy water if the board is dishwasher safe, run it through the dishwasher (some plastic cutting boards may warp in the dishwasher). When your cutting board is battered with deep scratches and cuts, it’s time to get a new one.
8. Don’t chop fresh vegetables, salad ingredients, fruit or any food that won’t be fully cooked on a cutting board that was used for raw poultry, meat, fish or seafood without cleaning it as directed above. Wash any knives or utensils that were used hot, soapy water, too.
9. Don’t transfer bacteria from raw meat to cooked meat. For example, don’t carry raw hamburgers to the grill on a platter, then put the cooked burgers back on the same unwashed platter.
10. Wash the meat keeper and crisper drawers of your refrigerator often, and keep containers for storing food in the refrigerator very clean. Make it a habit to go through your refrigerator once a week to throw out perishable foods that are past their prime.
11. Use paper towels when working with, or cleaning up after, raw foods, such as poultry and meats.
12. Keep pets out of the kitchen. After playing with pets, be sure to your wash hands before handling food. Teach kids to do this, too.
13. Wash kitchen linen often because bacteria "hang out" in towels, sponges and cloths used over and over. Throw out dirty or mildewed dish sponges.

Keep Hot Food Hot

1. Bacteria thrive at room temperature or in lukewarm food. So don’t allow hot foods to stand at room temperature for more than 2 hours, including prep time. Keeping hot foods hot means keeping them at 140° or higher.
2. Don’t partially cook or heat perishable foods, then set them aside or refrigerate to finish cooking later. During cooking, the food may not reach a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria.
3. Don’t worry about the safety of your slow cooker. With the direct heat from the pot, the lengthy cooking times and the steam created within the container, your slow cooker destroys harmful bacteria.
4. Roast meat or poultry at 325° or above. Lower temperatures can encourage bacterial growth before cooking is complete.
5. Cook meat and poultry completely, following the "doneness" times and temperatures recommended throughout this book. A meat thermometer comes in handy for making sure meat is done.
6. Keep cooked food hot, or refrigerate it until ready to serve. This includes carryout foods and meals-to-go, too.
7. Reheat leftovers, stirring often, until "steaming" hot (165°). Using a cover while reheating retains moisture and helps the leftovers heat through to the center. Heat soups, sauces and gravies to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, before serving (some cream-based recipes may curdle, but will taste the same). Do not taste leftover food that looks or smells strange to see if it’s okay. When in doubt, throw it out!

Keep Cold Food Cold

1. Bacteria thrive at room temperature, so don’t allow cold foods to stand at room temperature for more than 2 hours, including prep time. Keeping cold foods cold means keeping them at 40° or lower.
2. The most perishable foods are eggs, milk, seafood, fish, meat and poultry or the dishes that contain them, such as cream pies or seafood salad. When you shop, make your meat, poultry, fish and seafood selections last. Place them in plastic bags to prevent juices from dripping on other foods in your cart.
3. Take perishable foods straight home, and refrigerate them immediately. If the time from the store to home is longer than 30 minutes, bring a cooler with freezer packs or filled with ice and put perishable groceries inside. Short stops during hot weather can cause perishable groceries in a hot car to reach unsafe temperatures very quickly.
4. Buy "keep refrigerated" foods only if they are in a refrigerated case and are cold to the touch. Follow the "keep refrigerated", "safe handling" and "use by" labels on these products this includes carryout foods and meals to go, as well.

-Frozen foods should be frozen solid without lots of ice crystals, which indicate the food may have thawed and refrozen.
-Foods chill faster if you allow space between them when stocking your refrigerator and freezer and if you divide large amounts into smaller ones and store foods in shallow containers.
-Buy a refrigerator thermometer to make sure your refrigerator is cooling at 35° to 40°. Use a freezer thermometer to check that your freezer is maintaining 0° or colder. If your power goes out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed to protect food up to 2 days.
-When cleaning your refrigerator or freezer, pack perishables in a cooler with freezer packs or filled with ice.
-Never thaw foods at room temperature--thaw only in the refrigerator or microwave. If you thaw foods in the microwave, finish cooking them immediately.

More Tips for Keeping Food Safe to Eat

Canned Foods: Don’t buy or use food in leaking, bulging or dented cans or in jars with cracks or loose or bulging lids. If you are in doubt about a can of food, don’t taste it! Return it to your grocer, and report it to your local health authority.

Eggs: Store uncooked "do-ahead" recipes containing raw eggs in the refrigerator only for up to 24 hours before cooking. Even though it’s tempting, don’t eat unbaked cookie dough or cake batter containing raw eggs. Foods made with cooked eggs - cheesecakes, cream fillings, custards, quiches and potato salad - must be served hot or cold, depending on the recipe. Refrigerate leftovers immediately after serving. Also see Handling and Storing Eggs Safely and Cooking Eggs.

Raw eggs give some dishes, such as frosting, mousse and traditional Caesar salad dressing, a unique texture. When making these recipes, don’t use raw eggs in the shell use only pasteurized egg products or substitutes found in the dairy or freezer case. It’s also okay to use reconstituted dried eggs or egg whites. Some processors are beginning to market eggs that are pasteurized in the shell, but they’re not available nationwide yet.

Fruits and Vegetables: Wash with cold running water, using a scrub brush if necessary.

Ground Meat: Don’t eat or taste raw ground meat-it’s not safe! The process of grinding meat exposes more of the meat surface to bacteria so be sure to cook ground meat thoroughly. Make sure ground beef dishes such as burgers and meat loaf are completely cooked to 160° in the center of the thickest portion.

Ham: Most hams are fully cooked, but others need cooking. With so many varieties of hams, it can be confusing, so check the label. If you have any doubts, cook it so its internal temperature reaches 160°.

Luncheon Meats, Hot Dogs: Keep refrigerated, and use within 2 weeks. If the liquid that forms around hot dogs is cloudy, throw them out. Although hot dogs are fully cooked, you should reheat them until they’re steaming hot all the way through.

Marinades: Marinate foods in a heavy plastic food-storage bag or nonmetal dish in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Either discard leftover marinades or sauces that have had contact with raw meat or heat them to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, before serving.

Milk: Keep fresh milk products refrigerated. You can store unopened evaporated milk and nonfat dry milk in the cupboard up to several months. Refrigerate whole dry milk because it contains fat, and use it within a few weeks. Do not drink unpasteurized milk or milk products.

Poultry: Cook all poultry products according to the directions. Ground poultry, like ground beef, is susceptible to bacterial contamination and should be cooked to at least 165°. Stuff poultry just before you’re ready to cook it to keep any bacteria in the raw poultry from tainting the stuffing. So that the stuffing will cook all the way through, stuff poultry loosely--about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of poultry, since it will expand while it cooks. The center of the stuffing should reach 165°. Within 2 hours of serving, refrigerate poultry, stuffing and giblets in separate containers. Use the leftovers within 4 days, or freeze them.

Keep Buffet Food Safe
Serve food at buffets in small dishes. Rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already has had food on it, wash the dish or use a different one.

Keep foods hot (at least 140°) with a slow cooker, fondue pot, chafing dish or warming tray. Warming units heated by canned cooking fuel are safe to use, but don’t depend on units heated with candles because they don’t get hot enough to keep foods safe from bacteria.

Refrigerate salads made with seafood, poultry or meat. Chill both the food and the dish before serving.

Place containers of cold foods in crushed ice to keep them below 40°.

Hot or cold foods should not stand at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If in doubt, toss it.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for the amount of time recommended in our Cold Food Storage Chart. Keep Away-from-Home Food Safe

Pack lunches in insulated lunch bags or in a small cooler with a freeze-pack, frozen juice box or small plastic bottle of frozen water to keep food cold. Keep the bag or cooler out of the sun. Put perishable foods carried in an uninsulated lunch bag in the refrigerator.

Wash thermoses and rinse with boiling water after each use. Be sure hot foods are boiling when poured into thermoses. Wash fruits and vegetables before packing.

Chill picnic food before packing in an ice-filled cooler. Because beverage coolers will be opened more frequently, use one cooler for beverages and one for perishable foods.

Tightly wrap raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood or pack them in a separate cooler to keep them from dripping onto other foods. Bring along a bottle of instant hand sanitizer, antibacterial moistened towelettes or a bottle filled with soapy water for washing hands and surfaces after handling raw poultry, meat, fish or seafood.

At restaurants or potlucks, salad bars and buffets should look clean. Make sure cold foods are cold and hot foods are steaming.


From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 9th Edition Cookbook:
AMOUNTS OF FOOD FOR A CROWD
COLD FOOD STORAGE CHART
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE YIELDS
HELPFUL NUTRITION AND COOKING INFORMATION
MENU PLANNING BASICS 1: GENERAL TIPS
MENU PLANNING BASICS 2: THE FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID
MENU PLANNING BASICS 3: FOOD SAFETY
MICROWAVE COOKING AND HEATING CHART
TABLE SETTING AND ENTERTAINING