Questions and Answers
Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your nonperishables. Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking. Do not buy food past "Sell-By," "Use-By," or other expiration dates.
Shopping
Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F). Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below.
Storage
Refrigerator—The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food. Cold Water—Place food in a leak-proof plastic bag for faster thawing. Submerge in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing. Microwave—Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.
Thawing
Always wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water. Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
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Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat at higher temperatures. Ground meats: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
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Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer. Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder. When serving food at a buffet, keep hot food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep cold food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace them often. Use a food thermometer to check hot and cold holding temperatures. Perishable food should not be left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
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Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 90 °F). Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling. Use most cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165 °F.
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Meat and poultry that has been defrosted in the fridge can be frozen again before or after it has been cooked. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.
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It is an illness that comes from eating contaminated food.
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Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 °F and 140 °F. To keep food out of this "Danger Zone," keep cold food cold and hot food hot.
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