Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 10, 1993 TAG: 9308130243
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Keep hot food at 140 degrees or higher and cold foods at 40 degrees or cooler. Don't leave food indoors at room temperature or outside for more than two hours.
When temperatures are above 90 degrees, the time limit drops to about one hour. "Buy the cold food last - and get it home fast," says Joan Horbiak, a nutritionist. Run errands on the way to the market, not on the way home.
Use plastic bags to keep the juices from poultry or meat from contacting other foods in your cart, your shopping bag and your refrigerator - particularly any other food that will be eaten without cooking.
Make sure your refrigerator is set at no higher than 40 degrees, your freezer at 0 degrees. Between 32 and 40 degrees, "there's still some bacterial growth, but it's markedly slowed," said Barbara Whedon, a registered dietitian at Thomas Jefferson University. "That's why food can still spoil in the refrigerator - it just takes longer."
If you won't be cooking meat or poultry within 24 hours, don't refrigerate it - freeze it. Use hot dogs and precooked lunch meats within one or two days, or freeze them.
To keep fresh fish extra cold, put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, in the back. Or lay it directly on ice and cover with plastic wrap.
In general, keep leftovers no longer than four days. "When in doubt, throw it out," nutritionist Horbiak says. If you see mold, "that's just the tip of the iceberg," she added. "You may be able to save hard cheese or salami by cutting off about an inch, but most moldy food should be discarded."
Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, never on the kitchen counter. But make sure they're thawed before cooking - "That's the only way the internal temperature will reach a point where the bacteria are killed," Whedon said.
Wash your hands thoroughly - for at least 20 seconds, with hot soapy water - before any food preparation. And use a nail brush. "Bacteria are always sticking under your nails," Horbiak said.
Change kitchen towels and sponges frequently. Sponges, Horbiak said, provide "a wonderful environment for bacteria."
Be careful what you use sponges and rags for. If you wipe up spilled milk on the floor, don't wash the sponge thoroughly and then use it to wipe the cutting board. "You're just inoculating it with that bacteria," Whedon said. Avoid cross-contamination.
Don't cut up the chicken, then use the same knife and cutting board to chop the vegetables.
Cook items sufficiently. Fish should flake, poultry should be cooked to a temperature of 180, red meat - particularly ground beef - to 160. Eggs should be cooked firm.
Buy eggs that are refrigerated, clean and unbroken. Refrigerate eggs as soon as possible after purchase.
Never put cooked meat or poultry back on the plate that held the raw food. If you're going to partially cook chicken or meat before grilling it, do it immediately before the grilling. Bacteria will not be destroyed unless the cooking is done all at one time.
Marinate in the refrigerator. And if you marinate raw meat, don't use the marinade afterward for basting unless you bring it to a boil.
Cool hot foods quickly in the refrigerator. Separate into small pieces and place in a low, flat pan ith a large surface area.
If you're heading for a picnic, don't keep the cooler in the trunk of the car, where temperatures are the hottest. And don't put it in the sun after you get there.
And as for the time-honored practice of eating the cookie batter - don't do it, Whedon said. "If it's got raw egg in it, you could be making a mistake. A lot of kids have gotten sick stomachs and just thought they ate too much of it - but who knows?
Sources: Sue Chastain, Knight-Ridder Newspapers; Margaret Scherf, Associated Press
by CNB