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Answering
your food
safety questions...
Should I
thoroughly warm meats
that are purchased as fully cooked?
Yes, doing
this will reduce the
possibility of becoming sick from bacteria. |
Safe steps in
food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent food
borne illness. You can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria
that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow
the four Fight BAC!™ guidelines to keep food safe:
- Clean -- Wash hands and surfaces often.
- Separate -- Don't cross-contaminate.
- Cook -- Cook to proper temperatures.
- Chill -- Refrigerate promptly.
Shopping
- Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting
your non-perishables.
- Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn
or leaking.
- Do not buy food past "Sell-By," "Use-By," or other
expiration dates.
Storage
- Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1
hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
- Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer
with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or
below and the freezer at 0 °F or below.
- Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and
variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to
5 days.
- Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be
wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from
getting onto other food.
- To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in
its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap
that is recommended for the freezer.
- In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes,
grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months.
Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables will
keep 2 to 5 years -- if the can remains in good condition and has been
stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are dented,
leaking, bulging, or rusted.
Preparation
- Always wash hands before and after handling food.
- Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish,
and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash
hands, cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water.
- Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the
refrigerator.
- Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of 1
teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water.
Thawing
- Refrigerator:
The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and
poultry juices do not drip onto other food.
- Cold Water: For
faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold
tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after
thawing.
- Microwave: Cook
meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.
Cooking
- Cook ground meats to 160 °F; ground poultry to 165 °F.
- Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops may be
cooked to 145 °F; all cuts of fresh pork, 160 °F.
- Whole poultry should reach 180 °F in the thigh;
breasts, 170 °F.
Serving
- Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer.
- Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder.
- When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with
chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting
dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace them often.
- Perishable food should not be left out more than 2
hours at room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
Leftovers
- Discard any food left out at room temperature for more
than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 90 °F).
- Place food into shallow containers and immediately put
in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
- Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.
Refreezing
Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or
after cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.
Cold
Storage
Chart
These short, but safe, time limits will help keep refrigerated food from
spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. Because freezing keeps food safe
indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only.
|
Cold Storage Chart |
| Product |
Refrigerator (40 °F) |
Freezer (0 °F) |
|
Eggs |
| Fresh, in shell |
3 to 5 weeks |
Do not freeze |
| Raw yolks & whites |
2 to 4 days |
1 year |
| Hard cooked |
1 week |
Does not freeze well |
|
Liquid
pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes |
| opened |
3 days |
Does not freeze well |
| unopened |
10 days |
1 year |
Mayonnaise
Commercial, refrigerate after opening |
2 months |
Do not freeze |
Frozen Dinners & Entrees
Keep frozen until ready to heat |
-- |
3 to 4 months |
|
Deli &
Vacuum-Packed Products |
| Store-prepared (or homemade) egg,
chicken, ham, tuna, & macaroni salads |
3 to 5 days |
Does not freeze well |
|
Hot dogs |
| opened package |
1 week |
1 to 2 months |
| unopened package |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
|
Luncheon meat |
| opened package |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
| unopened package |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
|
Bacon & Sausage |
| Bacon |
7 days |
1 month |
| Sausage, raw -- from chicken, turkey,
pork, beef |
1 to 2 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Smoked breakfast links, patties |
7 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Hard sausage -- pepperoni, jerky
sticks |
2 to 3 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
Summer sausage
labeled "Keep Refrigerated" |
| opened |
3 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
| unopened |
3 months |
1 to 2 months |
|
Ham, Corned Beef |
| Corned beef, in pouch with pickling
juices |
5 to 7 days |
Drained, 1 month |
Ham, canned
labeled "Keep Refrigerated |
| opened |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
| unopened |
6 to 9 months |
Do not freeze |
Ham, fully cooked
vacuum sealed at plant, undated, unopened |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
Ham, fully cooked
vacuum sealed at plant, dated, unopened |
"Use-By" date on package |
1 to 2 months |
|
Ham, fully cooked |
| whole |
7 days |
1 to 2 months |
| half |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
| slices |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 2 months |
|
Hamburger, Ground
& Stew Meat |
| Hamburger & stew meat |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
| Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb, &
mixtures of them |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
|
Fresh Beef, Veal,
Lamb, Pork |
| Steaks |
3 to 5 days |
6 to 12 months |
| Chops |
3 to 5 days |
4 to 6 months |
| Roasts |
3 to 5 days |
4 to 12 months |
| Variety meats -- tongue, liver,
heart, kidneys, chitterlings |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
| Pre-stuffed, uncooked pork chops,
lamb chops, or chicken breasts stuffed with dressing |
1 day |
Does not freeze well |
Soups & Stews
Vegetable or meat added |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 3 months |
|
Cooked Meat
Leftovers |
| Cooked meat & meat casseroles |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 3 months |
| Gravy & meat broth |
1 to 2 days |
2 to 3 months |
|
Fresh Poultry |
| Chicken or turkey, whole |
1 to 2 days |
1 year |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces |
1 to 2 days |
9 months |
| Giblets |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
|
Cooked Poultry
Leftovers |
| Fried chicken |
3 to 4 days |
4 months |
| Cooked poultry casseroles |
3 to 4 days |
4 to 6 months |
| Pieces, plain |
3 to 4 days |
4 months |
| Pieces covered with broth, gravy |
1 to 2 days |
6 months |
| Chicken nuggets, patties |
1 to 2 days |
1 to 3 months |
| Pizza, cooked |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Stuffing, cooked |
3 to 4 days |
1 month |
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