Quick Cooking Tips for Memorial Day Weekend Chefs

Memorial Day weekend! It’s the start of the summer vacation season, of barbecues, family get-togethers and big meals. And that means it’s also the perfect time to remind all at-home chefs how to keep everyone safe from bacteria including salmonella, listeria, E. coli and other unwanted meal-time guests by following some simple rules.

Just remember: Plan Ahead, Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. And always remember to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold!

PLAN AHEAD:

• Before you start cooking, decide how much food you can safely serve. For example, figure out how much cooking and refrigerator or cooler space you have available to work with. There’s nothing worse than having leftovers — or perishable foods waiting to be cooked — with no place to keep them cold. If you have to defrost meat, poultry or fish, make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to safely thaw it in your refrigerator (defrosting in the open air or in still water encourages bacterial growth). Always buy food from a safe source, such as a market or restaurant.

• Don’t let bacteria into your meal.
• Wash your hands before and after handling food — and between switching from handling raw meats to ready-to-eat salads, fruit or other food stuff to avoid cross-contamination.
• Thoroughly rinse raw fruits and vegetables.
• Wash and sanitize counters, cutting boards and equipment before and after preparing your holiday feast.

• Keep produce (fruits and vegetables) separated from raw meat products.
• Defrost meat, poultry and fish slowly in the refrigerator over 24 hours. Place it on a plate or in a pan at the bottom of your refrigerator to keep juices from dripping on other foods.
• Try to use separate cutting boards for meat and fruit and vegetables. If you can’t, thoroughly wash your cutting board between uses with hot soapy water.

• Cook thoroughly. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that proper internal cooking temperatures are reached. In general, that’s 160°F for ground meat; 145°F for steak, chops, roasts, fish and shellfish, and uncooked ham; and 165°F for poultry or to reheat leftovers and reheat cooked ham.

• Keep cold foods chilled to 41°F or lower. Check the temperature inside your refrigerator with a refrigerator thermometer.
• If you are preparing food ahead of time, refrigerate it to minimize bacterial growth.
• Remember to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation.