Do you OWN and/or USE a food thermometer
?It could be the ONE kitchen tool that saves your life!
3000 Americans DIE each year from foodborne illness! Another 128,000 are hospitalized, and 1 out of every 6 Americans become sick each year because of bacteria in food! That's an estimated 48 million cases!
The "24-hour" flu is more often than not a case of food POISONING! The various bacteria take different amounts of time to become symptomatic, so it's sometimes hard to pinpoint a cause.
OFTEN we cannot even tell from look, smell, or even taste!
SO it's best to play it smart and USE your food thermometer
!
1. Limit time your food is in the DANGER zone: 40-140 degrees (this includes preparation, cooking, and eating time)
Food is NO LONGER SAFE if it's been in the zone for over 2 hrs (only 1 hour between 90-140 degrees)
2. Measure in the CENTER and THICKEST part of the meat, casserole, and leftovers -- careful not to touch bone, or bottom of pan.
3. Wash thermometer with HOT, SOAPY water after EACH measurement!
4. Heat leftovers to 165 degrees
While you can AVOID THE MAJORITY OF FOOD BORNE ILLNESS by eating a plant based diet, you can share these temperatures with your meat eating friends:
Chicken, turkey to 165 degrees
Ground beef to 160 degrees
Steaks, roasts, chops, pork, and ham to at least 145 degrees
Here is another food safety post about keeping foods COLD: WE GOTTA CHILL!
PLUS, watch for more related posts! And for a website all about FOOD SAFETY, click here.
BONUS TIP
Leftovers should only be warmed up ONE time! What doesn't get eaten should be discarded. So reheat only as much as you really think will be eaten, so nothing goes to WASTE!
COMMENTS: Have you ever had food poisoning? Did it change how you look at food safety?
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