very center of the meat.
Serve and keep cold foods cold.Serve and keep hot foods hot.Rapidly cool cooked meat by placing in the refrigerator rather than
at room temperature.Store cooked meat and poultry in the refrigerator.Don't allow foods requiring refrigeration to remain at room temperature
for long periods of time (longer than 1/2 hours to 45 minutes).Avoid purchasing unpasturized juices, milk, cheeses, etc.Thaw meats in your refrigerator. Do NOT thaw meats at room temperature. I know it is faster to thaw the meat at room temperature, however, the bacteria on the meat also grow faster at room temperature.
Please note these are just a few of the common mistakes people make
when purchasing, handling and preparing food. Would you like to take a
test to see how safe your kitchen is for your family? The FDA has a food
safety test that is very informative. Another good place to look
is at the FDA's homepage. They
have a number of links to other good sites on food safety as well
as consumer
information.
Take Care and Think Microbiologically! For more articles on microbiology go to Suite101:Microbiology.