Safety begins when shopping. Place meat and poultry in the refrigerator immediately. Freeze poultry and ground meat that won’t be used in 1 or 2 days. Freeze other meats within 4 or 5 days. Marinating meats should be done in the refrigerator. Never use marinade used on raw meat or poultry. If you want to use the marinade reserve a portion before putting raw meat in it. Precooking food partially in microwave or oven can reduce grilling time. Some studies suggest grilling may pose a cancer risk. Precooking can help decrease the risk. Avoid charring meat. Use a food thermometer to ensure safe internal temperatures which will effectively destroy bacteria. Whole poultry, breasts and ground turkey should reach 165 degrees. Hamburgers made with ground meat and pork should reach 160 degrees. After cooking meat and poultry keep it hot until served at 140 degrees or warmer. Never put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat without washing with hot soapy water. In hot weather (above 90 degrees) food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.
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Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree in clinical nutrition. The former publisher of Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine, Kentuckiana Healthy Woman magazine and radio show host of Health News You Can Use, Barbara has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy lifestyles to consumers. Barbara has private practice, DayByDay Nutrition, www.DayByDayNutrition.com, where she counsels clients on weight loss, cholesterol management, performance nutrition and an array of other medical issues. Barbara writes nutrition and health columns for www.LiveStrong.com. She also designs and presents employee wellness programs to small and large businesses. Barbara is a runner, cyclist, hiker and a mother and grandmother to 9 grandchildren.
