With all the talk about health these days there is a big step you can take to ensure the food you serve is always as safe as you can make it. Here are several tips to follow for safe food handling:

1. Temperature

Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

• Safe temperature guidelines would be under 40F degrees for raw un-frozen food.
• Under OF degrees for frozen foods. Be sure to thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter!  (Get a FREE PDF from the USDA about thawing frozen foods:  The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods for Consumers)
• For hot foods the minimum safe holding temperature is over 140F degrees.
• The danger zone for bacteria to grow and flourish is between 40F degrees and 140F degrees – especially when there is moisture present. Food can certainly pass through this temperature zone during cooking – but if it remains too long in that zone and does not rise above it when cooking, then you are flirting with bacteria growth that will make you sick. (Note: That’s why I don’t recommend stuffing poultry before cooking – because the chances of the stuffing being in the danger zone is too great!)
• Check your kitchen appliances and ensure that the fridge and freezer thermostats are working properly.
• When cooking for your family, utilize an accurate meat thermometer. Veal, beef, pork, and most seafood should be cooked to at least 145F degrees. Chicken and turkey breasts should be cooked to at least 165F degrees, while ground chicken and ground turkey should be cooked to at least 165F degrees.
• Ground beef, pork, lamb and veal should be cooked to at least 160F degrees. Read this post on cooking burgers:  Tips & Tricks: Safe & Savory Beef Burgers

2. Storage

• When you purchase fresh or frozen perishable food – be prepared to get it home and prepared for storage as quickly as possible.  Meat and dairy should be kept cold between the store and home.  Use an insulated cooler in your car to transport if the drive home will be longer than a few minutes. Insist the grocery store bag cold and frozen items together so they can be placed in the cooler.
• After cooking and serving the meal, carefully wrap and/or place in sealed containers all cooked food and place the fridge or freezer immediately after use and/or shortly after cooking. Leftovers can then be safely eaten within a few days.
• Get a FREE PDF from the USDA:  Basics for Handling Food Safely
  
• The Culinary Institute of America is renowned for training some of the best chefs in the business. They recommend the following temperatures for refrigerating fresh foods to best keep the growth of bacteria down to a minimum during short-term storage:
  • Meat and Poultry: 33-36ºF
  • Fish: 32-33ºF (place on a bag of ice in tray in fridge)
  • Shellfish: Mollusks (clams, oysters, scallops): 32-33ºF
  • Shellfish: Crustaceans (live lobsters & crabs): 45ºF
  • Eggs: 38-40ºF
  • Dairy (butter, hard & soft cheese, milk): 38-40ºF
  • Fruit and Vegetables: 38-40ºF
    

3. Cleanliness

• Using good cleaning practices on all surfaces of counters, stoves, grills, coolers, appliances, utensils and other items that come into contact with food will be helful to prevent cross-contamination.
• Use dishwasher safe cutting boards and use color coded cutting boards for different purposes – so that raw poultry, seafood, red meat, vegetables and cooked food do not cross contaminate.
• Utilize anti-bacterial cleansing products- especially after handling of raw meat.
• Wash hands thoroughly with hot water and soap.
• Always dispose of paper towels immediately after use.
• Sponges can be decontaminated by wetting and microwaving on high for between 20 – 30 seconds depending upon the power of your unit.
• Towels and rags should be laundered in hot water.
• Keep the grates of your barbeque grill clean!  There is no reason to leave old food and burnt guck on the grates for the purpose of “seasoning.”  IT’S OLD DIRTY FOOD AND WILL ADD BAD FLAVORS TO THE NEXT MEAL!  Take care of metal grates as you would a treasured cast-iron pan by pre-seasoning before the first use, wipe clean with water and scrubbers after each use, and re-season with high-temp cooking oil to prevent rust. That’s seasoning!
• Get a FREE PDF from the USDA:  Be Safe — Don’t Cross-Contaminate
• When cleaning, do not forget to sanitize the kitchen sink! Pour diluted bleach down the sink and garbage disposal to kill any lingering bacteria – especially after preparing raw meat!
• Consider using Food Safe disposable gloves when handling raw meats – and be sure to dispose of before moving on to other tasks!
• Dropping food on the floor of your kitchen is not such a good idea…as the kitchen floor is pretty darn dirty from cooking and food spills, even when it looks freshly swept – and the dropped food will require cleaning or disposal. The 5 second rule for raw meat and other perishables is a bad idea.

4. USDA Guidelines

• The USDA has made specific recommendations for temperatures to be used when preparing food.
• We follow them and strongly urge you to follow them as well.
• Here’s a FREE PDF from the USDA: USDA Recommended Internal Cooking Temperatures

By adopting safe food handling practices in your kitchen – and outside at your grill – you can significantly decrease your family’s risk of food borne illness. First and foremost, please remember to wash hands and utensils often using appropriate hot water and soap, keep raw meats and prepared foods separately, cook foods thoroughly, and refrigerate foods promptly. Do all you can to help keep your family safe from food borne illness!

Happy Grilling!