Over the next couple of weeks I will cover food safety in our column. I know the summer is a time when more families get together for cookouts, parties and socials. You want to make sure to keep your family and friends safe while grilling and socializing. Everyone knows that a restaurant must pass regular food safety inspections to stay open. But oftentimes we look for the rating of the restaurant and may not stop to think if our kitchen would pass a food safety inspection?
In the United States, the “Food Code” developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration— serves as a model to help health jurisdictions nationwide develop food service food safety standards.
For consumers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control Prevention and FDA work together to provide food safety guidelines for use in the home. Note: Consumer guidelines sometimes differ s
lightly from restaurant guidelines due to such factors as differences in home and professional equipment.
Directions: With these guidelines in mind, let’s see if your kitchen would measure up! Choose the answers that most closely apply to your everyday practices in your kitchen. Then compare your answers with the desired practices according to government guidelines for consumers.
1. How long do you leave perishable foods at room temperature? (Examples include meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products and cooked leftovers.)
a) 2 or less hours
b) No more than 6 hours
c) I haven’t paid attention to how much time they are at room temperature
2. What is the temperature of your home refrigerator?
a) 50 degrees
b) 40 degrees or below
c) I don’t know
3. How do you thaw meat, poultry and seafood?
a) On the kitchen counter
b) In the refrigerator
c) In the microwave
4. How many days do you usually store perishable leftovers in the refrigerator?
a) 3 to 4 days
b) A week or more
c) My leftovers usually spoil before I get around to eating them
5. When using a cutting board: If you’re cutting raw meat or poultry, what do you do before cutting fresh produce or bread before the same meal?
a) Use a separate cutting board
b) Wipe the cutting board with a damp cloth or sponge
c) Wash the cutting board with hot, soapy water, rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels
6. How do you determine whether you have cooked meat, poultry and seafood to a safe temperature?
a) Cut into it to see if the juices run clear
b) Check if it is no longer pink in the middle
c) Use a food thermometer
7. Which of these describes your handwashing when working with food?
a) I wash my hands before preparing food
b) I wash my hands before, during and after preparing food
c) I don’t wash my hands during food preparation
8. When cooking raw poultry/meat, what do you do?
a) Wash poultry and meat under running water before cooking them
b) Give poultry and meat a quick dunk in a sink or large pan filled with cold water before cooking them
c) Cook poultry and meat without washing them
9. Before eating melons, what do you do first?
a) Cut melons open and examine how they look
b) Wash melons thoroughly under running water before cutting into them
c) Wash melons with soap and water before cutting into them
Answers to food safety inspection questions 1-3
1. a) Two or less hours: Illness-causing bacteria can grow in perishable foods within two hours unless refrigerated — and within one hour if the temperature is 90 degrees or higher. Divide leftovers into clean, shallow containers so they chill faster and refrigerate within two hours. Refrigerate within one hour when the temperature is 90 degrees or above. Party time? Keep cold food on ice or serve it throughout the gathering from platters from the refrigerator. Keep hot party food refrigerated until time to warm them for serving.
2. b) 40 degrees or below: Your refrigerator should be between 40 degrees and 32 degrees. Your freezer should be at 0 degrees. Use an appliance thermometer to assure your refrigerator and freezer are cold enough. Quality should remain high for most frozen foods for 3-6 months.
3. b) In the refrigerator or c) In the microwave: Thawing meat, poultry and seafood in the refrigerator is the safest way as foods remain at a safe, constant temperature of 40 degrees or lower. Place the food on a plate or pan that can catch any juices that may leak. Normally, smaller amounts of most foods will be ready to use the next day. A large frozen item, like a turkey may require at least 24 hours for every 5 pounds of weight to thaw.
Foods can be thawed in the microwave, according to the directions in your owner’s manual. Cook immediately as bacteria begin to grow as the food is warmed. Cold water thawing is faster than refrigerator thawing but requires more attention. Place the food in a leak-proof package or bag and submerge in cold tap water; change the water every 30 minutes. A 1-pound package may thaw in an hour or less; 3-to 4-pound packages may take 2 to 3 hours; and a turkey may take about 30 minutes per pound. As with microwave-thawed food, cook immediately.
Please check back next week for the answers to question 4-9.
