Tips to help keep your food safe and avoid sickness

We have heard a lot over the past few weeks about eggs and the recent egg recall. Since our interest is piqued, I thought now would be a perfect time to review food safety.

Eggs, like meat, poultry, milk and other foods are safe when handled properly. Shell eggs are safest when stored in the refrigerator, thoroughly cooked, and promptly consumed.

The larger the number of Salmonella present in a food, the more likely it is to cause illness. Keeping foods adequately refrigerated prevents any Salmonella present from growing to higher numbers.

While cooking foods properly reduces the bacteria present, undercooked foods pose a risk such as a runny yolk or a “rare” steak.

You can help prevent food poisoning from bacteria and viruses by following four simple steps when you prepare food:

Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.

Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate.

Cook: Cook to proper temperature.

Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

Food Safety Tips

• Keep perishable foods (eggs, milk, meat, etc.) refrigerated at or less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.

• Discard cracked or dirty eggs.

• Wash hands, cooking utensils, and food preparation surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw meat or eggs.

• Thaw meat in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

• Store raw meats no longer than three days in the refrigerator.

• Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking.

• Meats should be cooked to a medium doneness. Use a meat thermometer.

• Do not keep meat, eggs or milk at room temperature for more than two hours.

• Refrigerate unused or leftover foods promptly. Consume leftovers in three days.

• Avoid eating raw meat or eggs.

• Avoid dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs (such as Hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad dressing, homemade ice cream, and cookie dough) that calls for raw eggs.

Minimum Cooking

Temperatures

(Fahrenheit)

Ground meat and meat mixtures — beef, pork, veal, lamb — 160 degrees

Ground meat and meat mixtures — turkey, chicken — 165 degrees

Fresh beef, veal, lamb — steaks, roasts, chops — 145 degrees