Remember to clean, separate, cook and chill for safe food
Food pathogens are sneaky. You cannot tell by looking, smelling, or even tasting food whether it contains pathogens. But these pathogens— like disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or parasites—can make you sick. You should never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat. It is especially important that you are always careful with food handling and preparation. The easiest way to do this is to Check Your Steps: clean, separate, cook and chill.
Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, utensils, countertops and food. To ensure your hands and surfaces are clean, be sure to:
■ Wash hands in soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and aster using the bathroom, changing diapers or handling pets.
■ Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops with hot soapy water between the preparation of raw meat, poultry and seafood products.
■ When using cloth towels to clean up messes, wash them often in the hot cycle of the washing machine.
■ Wash produce thoroughly. Rinse fruits and vegetables and rub firm-skin fruits cooked when they are heated to the Usda/fda-recommended safe minimum internal temperatures. To ensure that your foods are coked safely, always:
■ Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods. Check the internal temperature in several places to make sure that the meat, poultry, seafood or egg products are cooked to safe minimum internal temperatures.
■ Ground beef (160 degrees), ground poultry (165 degrees) seafood (145 degrees).
■ Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm.
■ When cooking in a microwave oven, cover food, stir and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking. Always allow standing time, which completes the cooking.
■ Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating. Heat other leftovers to 165 degrees.
Chill: Cold temperatures slow the growth of harmful bacteria. Keeping a constant refrigerator temperature of 40 degrees or below is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk of food borne illness. Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the refrigerator temperature is consistently 40 degrees or below and the freezer temperature is 0 degrees or below.
■ Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, seafood and other perishables within 2 hours of cooking or purchasing, refrigerate within one hour if the temperature outside is above 90 degrees.
■ Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the countertop. It is safe to thaw food in the refrigerator, in chilly water, or in the microwave. If you thaw food in chilly water or in the microwave, you should cook it immediately.
■ Divide substantial amounts of food into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.
APPLE PIE STEEL-CUT OATMEAL
Makes 8 Servings
171 Calories per Serving
In a 4-qt. slow cooker, combine the first seven ingredients. Cover and cook on low until liquid is absorbed, 6-8 hours. Stir in apples. If desired, top servings with apples, pecans, and syrup.
CURRY SHRIMP LINGUINE
Makes 6 Servings
406 Calories per (1.5 cup) Serving
Cook linguine according to package directions. In a large skillet over medium heat, toast curry powder for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in milk, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp; cook until shrimp turn pink, 5-6 minutes. Drain the linguine; toss with shrimp mixture and cilantro.