TVE-Cookery 10 Poultry Handouts PDF

LESSON 2 PREPARE POULTRY AND GAME DISHES Learning Outcome 1 Perform Mise’en Place Selecting and Purchasing Poultry and Game Poultry consumption in the Philippines has increased remarkably in the last decade. This is evident in the popularity of chicken dishes in res...

LESSON 2 PREPARE POULTRY AND GAME DISHES Learning Outcome 1 Perform Mise’en Place Selecting and Purchasing Poultry and Game Poultry consumption in the Philippines has increased remarkably in the last decade. This is evident in the popularity of chicken dishes in restaurants all over the country. Poultry refers to several kinds of fowl that are used as food and the term includes chicken, turkey, duck, pigeon, and quail. These are usually domesticated raised mainly for meat and/or eggs. Birds such as smites that are hunted for food are games. Classification of Poultry Bird Uses Chicken Meat, eggs Duck Meat, eggs, feathers Turkey Meat Goose Meat, eggs, feathers Quail Meat, egg Pigeon Meat Guinea fowl Meat Wild duck Meat, feathers Pheasant Meat Chickens and other poultry may be divided into classes which are essentially of the same physical characteristics associated with age, sex, live weight and/or breed. 1. Broiler or Fryer. A broiler or fryer is young chicken, usually 9 to 12 weeks of age, of either sex, is tender meat with soft, pliable, smooth textured skin. 2. Roaster. A roaster is usually 5 to 6 months of age. 3. Capon. A capon is a surgically desexed male chicken usually under 8 months of age. 4. Stag. A stag is a male chicken, usually under 10 months of age, with coarse skin, with somewhat toughened and darkened flesh. 5. Hen or Stewing Chicken. It is a mature female chicken which is usually more than 10 months of age. It can also be a culled layer. 6. Cock or Rooster. It is a mature male chicken with coarse skin, toughened and darkened meat and hardened breastbone tip. 7. Jumbo Broiler. This is a large chicken about 4 kg. dressed weight which are on sale especially during the Christmas holiday. Other Poultry 1. Peking duck. This is a breed of duck that originated from China and is noted for its tender and flavorful meat. 2. Duck or Itik is available and popular in many towns of Rizal as fried itik. 3. Squab. This is a young immature pigeon of either sex and has extra tender meat. Selecting Good Quality Poultry and Game 1. Live Poultry a. It has clear eyes. b. A young chicken has fine and soft feet. If it is old, the feet are thick and scaly. c. The bone at the tip of the breast is soft in younger chicken and thick in older one. d. Small feathers indicate that the chicken is young TVE-Cookery 10 pages 1 |  2. Whole Poultry. These are slaughtered birds that have been bled and de-feathered. a. Their head, feet and viscera are still intact. b. They are clean, well fleshed. c. They have moderate fat coverings. d. They are free from pin feathers and show no cuts, scars or missing skin. 3. Dressed Poultry. These are slaughtered birds that have been bled, de-feathered, and the visceral organs are removed. a. The skin is smooth and yellow in color b. The breast is plump c. The thighs are well-developed d. It has no objectionable odor e. It is heavy and the skin is not watery 4. Ready-to-Cook. The dressed birds may be cut up and marinated or seasoned. 5. Poultry Parts. Several pieces of a single poultry part are usually packed in one carton, wrapped and chilled or frozen. The various poultry parts are divided into any of the following: a. dark meat – drumsticks, thighs, wings, neck, backs, and rib cage b. white meat – breasts c. giblets – gizzard and heart Nutritional Value/Components of Poultry and Game Like meat, poultry contains high quality proteins. Chicken, the most consumed among the fowls, has 22.6% protein, 76.3% water and traces of fat, vitamins and minerals. Poultry meat consists of dark and white muscles. Dark muscles are those found in parts of fowl‘s body which are always used. These are the legs, thigh, wings, neck and rib cage. These are richer in fat, have more connective tissues, and have higher riboflavin and myoglobin content. Most people prefer the dark meat than white meat (from the breast) because of its juiciness and flavor. Variety meats refer to the meat of such organs as the gizzard, heart, kidneys and liver. Preparation of Poultry for Cooking Slaughter and bleeding Slaughtering involves stunning and bleeding. Stunning prevents struggling and relaxes the muscles holding the feathers. Bleeding process is carried out in an inverted cone shaped equipment to rest the body of the bird and keep the head out and down. Scalding Scalding refers to immersion of birds in hot water for loosening the feathers. It should be done when all reflexes have ceased. Defeathering The process is carried out in a feather plucker consisting of two drums with rubber fingers, which revolve in opposite directions pulling of feathers from the carcass. Any remaining feathers are picked up manually. Evisceration Evisceration, or removal of the birds' internal organs, follows during which the birds are washed and inspected. Deboning The deboning process generally follows the cutting operation when deboning legs and thighs. The breast meat, however, may be removed while the carcass is still on the cone at the end of the cutting process. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 2 |  Market Forms of Poultry 1. Live poultry Live poultry should be healthy, alert, and well-feathered. Avoid poultry which have bruises, blisters and broken bones. 2. Whole poultry Though not alive, the criteria for selecting live poultry also apply to whole poultry. 3. Dressed poultry This is the most available poultry form in the market. Dressed poultry are actually slaughtered poultry with the head, feet, blood, feathers and internal organs removed. Good quality dressed poultry should be free from slime, off-odors and discoloration. 4. Drawn poultry These are dressed poultry that have been chilled or frozen. They are usually available in groceries. 5. Ready-to cook These are poultry parts such as wings, breast, thighs, or drumsticks which have been separately packed in a single container and frozen or chilled. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 3 | TVE-Cookery 10 pages 4 |  Learning Outcome 2 Cook Poultry and Game Dishes Principles of Poultry Cookery 1. The fat distribution and maturity of the fowl affect the quality of the product. Mature birds are best cooked using moist heat. Dry heat is suitable for young birds. 2. The best cooking temperature for poultry is at low to moderate heat. This temperature range produces a more flavorful and tender product. This also minimizes nutrient loss and shrinkage of meat. 3. To prevent the risk of microbial contamination, stuffing of turkey and chickens should be done immediately before roasting. It is best not to fill the cavity completely as this will prevent the poultry from being thoroughly cooked. 4. Because of its susceptibility to microbial growth, cooked poultry should be eaten immediately or refrigerated if not consumed. Leftover stuffing should be stored separately to prevent contamination. 5. Because poultry meat is pale-colored, it is best to employ dry heat cooking with fat for a brown color. 6. When roasting chicken, cuts should be placed breast-side down to produce a juicier and tenderer product. 7. To improve the palatability of lean poultry meat, basting can be done. Causes of Food Spoilage and Contamination All food should be safe and free from contamination and spoilage at all points in its journey from its source until it reaches the consumers. However, food contamination is a serious public health problem resulting in foodborne diseases that affect many people every year. Hence, awareness of potential sources of food contamination is an important component of good nutrition and good health. Food may be contaminated by different microorganisms or by chemicals that can cause health problems for anyone who eats it. The common causes of food contamination and food spoilage are: 1. Failure to properly refrigerate food 2. Failure to thoroughly heat or cook food 3. Infected employees/workers because of poor personal hygiene practices TVE-Cookery 10 pages 5 |  4. Foods prepared a day or more before they are served. 5. Raw, contaminated ingredients incorporated into foods that receive no further cooking 6. Cross-contamination of cooked foods through improperly cleaned equipment 7. Failure to reheat foods to temperature that kills bacteria 8. Prolonged exposure to temperatures favorable to bacterial growth Poultry Cookery Poultry, like meat may be cooked by either dry or moist heat method. The choice of method depends mainly upon the age of the bird instead of location of the part in the carcass as in the case of meats. Fat content should also be taken into consideration. 1. Moist Heat Method As discussed earlier in this lesson, chicken is categorized into classes. All classes of chicken and other poultry for that matter may be cooked by moist-heat cookery. Common Filipino dishes are tinola, sinampalukang manok. 2. Dry Heat Method The dry method is usually reserved for young tender poultry. The poultry class of these chickens is especially termed broilers and fryers. Somewhat older but still immature birds such as capons and roasters are also suitable for roasting. They are still tender but have more fat than the broilers or fryers. Older birds need to be tenderized by moist cooking prior to dry heat cooking. One point to remember in poultry cookery; moist heat cookery may be applied to all classes and kinds of poultry but dry heat cookery is reserved for tender birds TVE-Cookery 10 pages 6 | TVE-Cookery 10 pages 7 |  Removing the Bones from A Chicken Step 1: Tools and Materials for Deboning Your Chicken Whole raw Chicken Poultry or utility shears Sharp boning knife or long paring knife Sharp Chef knife or cleaver Step 2: Empty the Cavity Remove the liver, heart, neck and gizzard from the body cavity and reserve for your chicken stock. You will be reserving all the little bits and scraps for stock. Don't be wasteful, a good Chef never throws anything away. Wash the inside of the cavity with cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Let's get cuttin'. With your shears cut the wing tips off at the first joint and reserve. Step 3: Removing the Wishbone. Breast side up, pull back the neck skin, exposing the breast meat at the neck cavity opening. You can feel the wishbone through the meat at the opening. Starting at the top, with your boning knife, carefully cut behind the wishbone all the way down on both sides. Continue to trim until the wishbone becomes detached. Reserve. Step 4: Removing the "Cage" Turn the chicken breast side down. Begin you cut at the center of the backbone from head to tail. Following the contures of the ribcage, continue separating the meat from the cage on both sides. Trim as close to the cage as possible and stop when you get to the wing and leg joints. Step 5: Detach the Leg and Wing Bones Use your poultry shears to detach the leg and wing joints from the cage. Continue to separate the meat from the bone following the contours of the cage around to the breast until it begins to become free from the cage. Step 6: The "Cage" is Out. Holding the cage in one hand continue to trim around the breast until the cage comes out. Again reserve. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 8 |  Step 7: Removing the Thigh Bone Removing the thigh bone is tricky. From inside the bird, carefully trim and push the meat down the length of the thigh bone until it reaches the drumstick. You are basically taking the thigh bone out from inside the bird. Separate the thigh bone from the drumstick and remove. Leave the drumsticks intact, they will be removed after you roast your chicken. Step 8: Trimming Up With your Chef knife, cut off the bottom of the drumstick and the wings at the second joint. Step 9: Finished! You now have successfully removed the bones from a chicken! Now, what to do with this floppy chicken. Stuff it of course! PETA No. 3 “8- piece cut on Whole Chicken” Ingredients: 1 whole dressed chicken Tools and Equipment: Knife Kitchen shears Chopping board Containers Procedure: 1. With the bird breast side up, pull away the drumstick and slit the skin between the leg and the breast. Now pull the drumstick up and back to release the thighbone from its socket and expose the bone. Cut through joint and skin to remove leg. 2. To separate the drumstick from the thigh, flip the leg over (skin-side down) and cut through the line of fat, a marker for the joint. Repeat with the other leg. 3. For the wings, pull each wing away from the body. Slice the skin between the wing and the body, then cut through the joint to detach wing. 4. To separate the breast from the back, hold the chicken vertically, leg side up, and cut along the fat line, a diagonal line running from the top of the opening towards the wings (save the backbone for stock). 5. To separate the breast into 2 halves, place the bird skin-side down. Split the center bone using a chopping motion, then slice through meat and skin to separate in half. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 9 | TVE-Cookery 10 pages 10 |  Learning Outcome 3 Plate/Present Poultry and Game Dishes Portion Control for Cooked Poultry and Game Chicken o Meat shrinks about 25% when cooked. A quarter-pound hamburger (4 oz.) will actually yield a 3- ounce portion after cooking. An 8-ounce steak will yield about 6 ounces of cooked meat. o A chicken breast is generally 3 - 4 ounces. o A chicken thigh is usually 2 ounces, while a leg is 1 - 2 ounces. o Chicken wings are high in fat. It takes 2 wings to equal a 1-ounce choice (or exchange) with that. How to Do Control Portion Sizes – Portion Control Secrets It‘s not always what you eat, but how much you eat - It‘s the size of your servings that really counts! Most of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and tend to overestimate the recommended portion sizes for many foods. Almost everyone underestimates the amount of calories they consume, and people who weigh more do so, to a greater degree. Portion: A “portion” is how much food you choose to eat at one time (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack), whether in a restaurant, from a package, or in your own kitchen. Portions can be bigger or smaller than the recommended food servings. There is no standard portion size and no single right or wrong portion size. Serving: A “serving size” is the amount of food listed (and recommended) on a product‘s Nutrition Facts (panel of packaged food) or the amount of food recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines* for Americans. Sometimes, the portion size and serving size match; sometimes they do not. A serving is a standard amount used to help give advice about how much to eat, or to identify how many calories and nutrients are in a food. How to Control Portion Sizes: Eating smaller portions of food is one of the easiest ways to cut back on calories—but it can also be one of the most challenging, with the current trend of super-sizing. How do you know a reasonable portion of food when you see it? Visualize the objects mentioned below when eating out, planning a meal, or grabbing a snack. Factors to consider in presenting/plating poultry dishes. Types of service wares Plating Garnishing Sauces Accompaniment Plating/ Presenting Poultry Dishes Creative Food Presentation Techniques The way food is presented affects a person ‘s perception of how it will taste. People instinctively reject bruised apples and browned bananas and recognize well-marbled beef and perfectly ripe produce. Prepared dishes work in the same manner. The perfect dish includes food that tastes as good as it looks. Much of the artistry of cooking comes after the food has been cooked and it is time to transfer it from pot to plate. Here, chefs rise above cooks as they arrange the different components on a plate like interior TVE-Cookery 10 pages 11 |  designers place furniture to create culinary masterpieces. The home chef faces similar circumstances on a nightly basis. Whether you ‘re entertaining, preparing a special meal or jazzing up an old favorite, these food presentation tips will set your dishes apart from the crowd. Plating the Food Plating is the act of arranging the meal on the individual plate immediately before it‘s served. Presentation should look natural. It should feel as though everything that is on the plate is meant to be should feel as though everything that is on the plate is meant to be exactly where it is. Try to strike a balance between having enough food on the plate to convey hospitality without overcrowding the plate—and potentially offending your guest. Try to leave one-third of the plate empty and plate your dish immediately before you serve it. It goes without saying that hot food should be hot and cold food should be cold; always check the temperature of your food before you serve it to a guest. After you have put the food on the plate, check to see that the plate is clean. Plate edges should be especially immaculate. Clean spills or sauces away with a moistened clean sponge or paper towel. Decorate the Frame If the food is the masterpiece, then the plate is its frame. Adapt artistic framing strategies to your cooking for a quick way to improve your food ‘s presentation. Buy beautiful bowls and plates in a variety of shapes and colors. The same bowl of soup looks dramatically different in a small Asian ceramic cup and an oversized, shallow white French consommé bowl. You can also decorate the rim of a plate, just as you ‘d decorate a frame. Use culinary elements like colorful spices or confectioner ‘s sugar; specialty salts like Hawaiian alaea or Himalayan pink salt which also lend themselves wonderfully to this purpose. For small appetizers, part of the presentation is making the display platter look beautiful. Make a bed of uncooked soba noodles or flat rice sticks, shafts of wheat, or large sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme. This is also a good trick to use if you are preparing a hors d ‘oeuvre platter. If you ‘re decorating a plate that will hold hot food, be aware that by the time you‘re finished garnishing the plate, the food may not be hot. In some cases, you can garnish the plate before you plate the food. If this is impossible, work quickly and have all of your garnishes close by. Mix Shapes, Colors and Textures Food is naturally beautiful. Combine foods with different shapes, colors and textures on the same plate. Grilled filet mignon becomes even more decadent when it appears on the plate with stark white mashed potatoes and a bright green steamed vegetable. In this case, these different elements combine for a dish that catches the eye. If your plate will contain multiple elements, use an odd number of dishes rather than an even number for further interest. Grilled filet mignon with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus looks great but add a stack of sliced tomatoes and the combination becomes regimented and less remarkable. Try to integrate a variety of shapes in each dish. Risotto is boring when paired with rice, as the two are nearly identical in shape, color, and size. Meatballs and Brussels sprouts are different colors but the same shape. But meatballs and rice make an interesting combination, as do risotto and Brussels sprouts. For a restaurant-worthy twist on traditional side-by-side plating, stack the components of your dish vertically. Arrange asparagus into a teepee on the plate, with a dipping sauce in the center; make salads more TVE-Cookery 10 pages 12 |  cylindrical than vertical. This approach can make any plate instantly more interesting. Keep in mind that sometimes the most aesthetically pleasing plate of food does not include a garnish. For example, crème brulee features a delicate, crunchy top layer. While its appearance can certainly be improved with a small garnish or beautiful brulee dish, the texture and color of the caramelized sugar is beautiful enough on its own. Garnishes Garnishes can be as simple or intricate as you like. For a twist on the traditional parsley sprig, use a sprig or two of an herb or spice that was used in the dish. A ham flavored with rosemary might feature a sprig of rosemary on each plate. Spicy pad Thai can include a wedge of lemon or lime and a dash of paprika sprinkled around the plate. You can also garnish with small fans of fruits and vegetables like cucumber, pineapple, avocado, citrus, kiwi, or apple. Slice the fruit or vegetable into thin rounds, leaving ¼ of flesh connected on one side to hold the rounds together. Gently spread out the slices and arrange them neatly in an arc. Several kitchen tools are available that will help you transform nearly any fruit into an attractive garnish for a plate. The key to selecting a garnish is picking a garnish that will improve the dish. Garnishes add color and continue a theme, such as a brightly colored orchid on top of passion fruit crème brulee. They can accent a dish‘s color, like chives on top of a baked potato, or a dish‘s flavor. Garnishes can provide complementary flavor, like peanuts in pad Thai, or contrasting flavor, like a lemon wedge with seafood. An entrée ‘s sauce also makes a delicious garnish. Swirl it around or atop the plate for visual and gustatory interest. The way food looks on the plate is the most ignored facet of cooking at home. Too often, other considerations such as time, money, and food allergies push presentation out of mind. Since most children and their families eat their main meals at home, attractive food presentation is just as important at home as it is in a restaurant. A dish that looks good is more likely to be eaten. Even picky kids will forego sugary cereal in favor of Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles or a plate with over easy egg eyes, a bacon smile and potato cheeks. You can even trick your own palate into liking Brussels sprouts, zucchini, and other healthy produce with a beautiful arrangement on a dish. Learning Outcome 4 Store Poultry and Game Bird Techniques in Storing Poultry Poultry may be frozen whole, in halves, cut into pieces, or parts after they are dressed. Parts can be packed separately, ready to cook, or for easy meal preparation and thawing. Handling and Storage of Poultry Poultry spoils very quickly unless it is properly handled and stored. After being brought home from the market, it should be unwrapped as quickly as possible and wiped off with a damp cloth. Then it should be lightly covered with waxed paper, placed in shallow utensils, and stored in a cold part of the refrigerator near the freezing unit or ice. Cooked poultry should be cooled as quickly as possible, covered to prevent drying and refrigerated. Removing the bones saves space. Frozen poultry must be kept in the freezing unit until it is thawed for cooking. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 13 |  Freezing and Thawing Poultry To prepare poultry properly for freezing, it should be wrapped tightly in a moisture-vapor proof film, foil or paper and then frozen at -170oC (0o F) or lower. Although there are no abrupt changes in quality during the first few months of poultry storage, it has always been a good practice to use these chickens first which have been in storage longest and those with torn wrapper. Storage Time for Poultry and Game Product Refrigerator Freezer (0°F) (35-40 °F) Chicken and turkey (whole) 1-2 days 12 months Chicken (pieces) 1-2 days 9 months Turkey (pieces) 1-2 days 6 months Duck and Goose (whole) 1-2 days 6 months Giblets 1-2 days 3-4 months Wild duck, pheasant Goose 1-2 days 6 months (whole) Cooked poultry dishes 2-4 days 4-6 months Canned poultry opened 1 day NR It is not recommended to refreeze poultry after it has been thawed. Freezing and thawing release fluids called drip and the chances of bacterial spoilage are increased. The water holding capacity of meat is also affected by subsequent thawing. When thawing, it is advisable to thaw slowly inside the refrigerator to give tissues a better chance to rehydrate. Immediately cook the thawed meat since bacterial growth is rapid upon thawing. Slow thawing may be affected by placing 1 to 2 kg. chicken in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours or to place it under running tap water for ½ to 1 hour, in their original wrap in both cases. However, frozen poultry or any other market forms of poultry should not be allowed to thaw or soak in a bowl of water because of possible bacterial build. Safety Practices in Handling and Storing Poultry and Game Products How to Handle Chicken Safely Raw chicken and poultry can carry salmonella bacteria, which is responsible for more cases of food poisoning than any other pathogen. Fortunately, it's easy to avoid getting sick from chicken and poultry, if you follow safe food handling practices. Safe Shopping for Chicken and Poultry During distribution to retail stores, fresh chicken is kept cold to extend its shelf life as well as to prevent bacteria growth. Packages of chicken should feel cold to the touch and should be among the last items you select before checking out. Packages of chicken should be wrapped in plastic bags to prevent leakage onto other items in your grocery cart. Once you're home, you should immediately place your chicken in a refrigerator that maintains a temperature of 40°F or colder and use it within 2 days. Otherwise, it should be frozen at 0°F. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 14 |  Safe Handling of Chicken and Poultry Just like meat, fish, or any animal-based food product, raw or undercooked chicken carries certain bacteria. These bacteria can cause illness in large numbers. Therefore, to avoid illness we need to limit bacteria's ability to multiply or kill them altogether. Limiting their ability to multiply requires making sure that food products are not left at room temperatures — or specifically, temperatures between 40°F and 140°F — for more than an hour. And remember, freezing doesn't kill bacteria, either — it just makes them cold. The only way to kill food- borne pathogens is by thoroughly cooking the food. Another concern with respect to working with uncooked poultry is cross-contamination. Cross- contamination can happen when raw poultry — or even just its juices — somehow come into contact with any other food products but especially ones that are already cooked or ones that will be eaten raw, such as salad vegetables Fresh vs. Frozen Chicken and Poultry If the label on a raw poultry product bears the term "fresh," that indicates that it has never been colder than 26°F. Poultry that has at any time been kept at 0°F or colder must have a label indicating that it is "frozen" or "previously frozen," whatever the case may be. Interestingly, poultry that has been kept at temperatures colder than 26°F but warmer than 0°F can be labeled neither fresh nor frozen. Chicken and Poultry Product Dating Federal regulations don't require poultry products to be dated. However, most retailers will date the chicken products that they sell. If they do opt to date the product, regulations do require that there be a phrase signifying whether the date is a "sell by" date or a "use before" date, and the explanation must appear right next to the date. Basics for Handling Food Safely Shopping Storage Preparation Thawing Cooking Serving Leftovers Refreezing Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow the four Fight BAC! guidelines to keep food safe: Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often. Separate — Don't cross-contaminate. Cook — Cook to proper temperatures. Chill — Refrigerate promptly. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 15 |  Shopping Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables. Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking. Do not buy food without expiration dates. Storage 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. Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days: other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days. Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food. To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer. In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months. Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years — if the can remains in good condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted. Preparation Always wash hands with warm water and soap 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, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water. Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Thawing Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food. Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing. Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing. Cooking Cook all raw poultry, 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. Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. TVE-Cookery 10 pages 16 |  Serving 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 food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or using small serving trays and replacing them often. Perishable food should not be left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F). Leftovers 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 cooked leftovers within 4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165 °F. Refreezing Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing TVE-Cookery 10 pages 17 | TVE-Cookery 10 pages 18 |