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University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

FOOD REFLECTIONS  

Giving Recipes A Food Safety Update

FOOD REFLECTIONS Welcomes Guest Co-Author For February February's FOOD REFLECTIONS is written by FOOD REFLECTIONS Author Alice Henneman, M.S., R.D. and Fayrene Hamouz, Ph.D., R.D. (FHAMOUZ1@UNL.EDU). Dr. Hamouz is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Science & Dietetics at the University of Nebraska.

How many of the following questions would you answer "YES"? 

1.Do you have favorite recipes that have been passed down through your family?

2.Are you thinking of giving someone a cookbook as a present? How about as a prize at a
health fair, class, etc.?

3.Are you using food preparation techniques you saw others use as you grew up?

4.Do you develop recipes?

5.Do you include recipes from others in personal columns, news stories, etc.?

6.Do you teach others how to cook?

7.Are you compiling a cookbook for your family or organization?

We wouldn't use the instruction book that came with the original Model T car for the most recent
auto we purchased. Why is it different with food? Unknowingly we may use or give others outdated
recipe directions inconsistent with what we now know about food safety. Or we may assume
people know the latest food safety guidelines. We may think everyone understands, for example,
when we share a recipe that says "cook until done." 

New bacteria have emerged and others have gotten stronger since some of our favorite recipes
were developed. For example, in 1990 the U.S. Public Health Service cited: E. coli O157:H7,
Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni as the four most serious
food-borne pathogens in the United States. Twenty years ago, three of these -- Campylobacter,
Listeria and E. coli O157:H7 -- weren't even recognized as sources of food-borne disease!

Here are some general checkpoints for evaluating recipes for food safety that come in part from
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) recommendations. Check the USDA Food Safety and
Inspection Service Web site (www.fsis.usda.gov) and the Fight BAC!(TM) Web site
(www.fightbac.org) for more food safety information.

Checkpoint 1: Oven Temperatures

Use a minimum oven temperature of 325 F for cooking meat, poultry and casseroles containing
them. Lower temperatures may not heat the food fast enough to prevent bacterial growth.

Checkpoint 2: Eggs

One hundred years ago, an 1898 "Receipt Book" by B. J. Kendall, M.D., offered a "recipe for egg
water to cure vomiting." Today we'd no longer consider giving a sick family member a glass of egg
white mixed with water. However, without thinking, we may still follow the unsafe practices of: 

Licking the cake batter from the bowl; 
Tasting raw cookie dough; 
Making ice cream with raw eggs. 

Consider the following when cooking with eggs: 

Cook eggs -- whether scrambled, fried, poached, soft-cooked, made into an omelet, etc. --
until the yolk and white are firm, not runny.

Avoid recipes in which eggs remain raw or are only partially cooked. Examples could include
caesar's salad dressing; mousses; chiffons; homemade ice cream, mayonnaise or hollandaise
sauce.

Heat cooked egg bases for recipes, such as custard (baked and stirred) and quiche to an
internal temperature of 160 F. At this temperature, a knife inserted near the center of a
quiche or custard comes out clean. For a stirred custard, the mixture will coat a metal spoon.

Eggnogs and homemade ice creams can be safely made using a stirred custard base. Chill the
cooked custard base thoroughly before freezing for ice cream to assure it rapidly reaches a
safe temperature.

Chill cooked custard in a shallow pan on the top shelf of the refrigerator. For thicker foods
such as this custard sauce, limit depth to 2 inches. Loosely cover to allow heat to escape and
to protect from accidental contamination during cooling. Stir occasionally to help it cool; use
a clean spoon each time. Cover tightly when cooled.

Although commercial pasteurized egg products can be used in place of raw eggs in recipes
such as homemade ice cream, for optimal safety it's safest to start with a cooked base that
has been heated to an internal temperature of 160 F. When serving people at high risk for
food-borne illness such as young children, older individuals, people with an illness and
pregnant women, it's best to use a cooked egg base.

Checkpoint 3: Meat, Poultry

Judging meat "doneness" by whether it's "brown inside" isn't always a reliable indicator of a safe
internal temperature. "The Food Safety Educator"
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/educator/educator3-4.htm), a publication of the USDA Food Safety
and Inspection Service, shares the following story.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., a grocery store chain in New York and Pennsylvania, launched a
campaign to educate consumers about the importance of cooking ground beef to 160 F. A poster
used in an in-store demonstration showed two burgers, one pink and one brown. "Which is done?"
the poster asked. The poster provided the answer: the pink burger had been cooked to 160 F, the
brown burger to 140 F!

Wegmans Director of Consumer Affairs, Mary Ellen Burris, noted, "The only way to really know
if it's done is to use a meat thermometer."

Also, as a part of safe preparation, do not partially cook or brown foods to cook later. Any
bacteria present won't be destroyed. If you're cooking food partially in the microwave, oven or
stove to reduce grilling time, pre-cook it IMMEDIATELY before grilling. Use these recommended
internal temperature for doneness:

Ground meat and poultry mixtures
(prepared as patties, meatloaf, etc.) 
Beef, veal, lamb, pork: 160 F 
Chicken, turkey: 165 F 

NOTE: Thoroughly cook ground meat or poultry BEFORE
combining it with other ingredients in casseroles, meat sauces,
etc. 

Fresh beef, veal and lamb: 
Roasts and steaks: 
Medium rare: 145 F 
Medium: 160 F 
Well-done: 170 F 

Fresh pork: 
Chops, roasts, ribs: 
Medium: 160 F 
Well-done: 170 F 

Ham: 
Fresh (raw): 160 F 
Cured, fully cooked, (to reheat): 140 F 

Poultry: 
Whole chicken, turkey: 180 F 
Poultry breasts, roasts: 170 F 
Poultry thighs, wings (dark meat): 180 F 
(juices will run clear when cut) 
Stuffing (cooked separately): 165 F 


Using a food thermometer helps assure that your food reaches a safe internal temperature. A
thermometer also helps you avoid overcooking a food and lowering its taste and quality. For more
information on how to choose and use a food thermometer, read the publication "Kitchen
Thermometers" on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site
(http://www.fsis.usda.gov) .

NOTE: These temperatures are recommended for consumer cooking. They are not intended
for processing, institutional or food service preparation. 

Checkpoint 4: Marinades

Marinades help flavor meat and poultry. They DO NOT kill bacteria. Here are some general
guidelines for safely using marinades: 

Marinate in a covered container in the refrigerator, not on the counter. A glass container is a
safe choice for marinating. Acidic ingredients in some marinades such as wine, vinegar and
lemon juice could react with certain metallic or glazed ceramic containers and leach into the
food being marinated.

Marinating time in the refrigerator shouldn't exceed the recommended storage time for that
type and cut of fresh meat or poultry.

If you're not certain how long to marinate a particular food –- for best safety AND quality --
limit time to 24 hours or less.

If some of the marinade is to be used for basting during cooking or as a sauce on the cooked
food, reserve a portion of the marinade and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do not
put raw meat or poultry in it.

When basting, don't recontaminate fully cooked meat or poultry by adding sauce with a brush
that has been used on raw or undercooked foods. 

For greatest safety, don't re-use leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw meat or
poultry.

Model T Or Latest Model?

Henry Ford, the person behind the Model T car, is quoted as saying, "Anyone who stops learning
is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest
thing in life is to keep your mind young." 

It might also be said that anyone who keeps learning about food safety stays healthy! The next time
you make or give others a recipe, check to see if you should do a food safety update.

Have Fun Teaching Consumer Food Safety!

The consumer is the final link in the food safety chain of producer to processor to retailer to
consumer. If you'd like to offer a FUN and EFFECTIVE consumer food safety program, you might
be interested the food safety game, "Don't Get Bugged by a Foodborne Illness."

Our office developed "Don't Get Bugged" for use with adults and youth age 12 and over. While
content is geared toward consumer food safety, trainers working in food service operations can
modify the materials to meet their specific needs.

"Don't Get Bugged" has received a national award from the National Extension Association of
Family and Consumer Sciences. 

Each game packet contains a "quiz bowl" version to use with single players at health fairs, school
fairs or clinics, PLUS a "bingo" version to use with groups in any setting. All materials may be
reproduced on a standard copier for unlimited use. You're welcome to adapt materials as desired.
(Cost: $13.95 + $2 for shipping and handling, TOTAL: $15.95.)

If you'd like more information, e-mail me at AHENNEMAN1@UNL.EDU or visit my Web site:
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/lanco/family/buggame.htm




FOOD REFLECTIONS is a FREE monthly e-mail newsletter and is also archived on the
Internet (http://www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/lanco/family/archives.htm). FOOD REFLECTIONS
provides a short "how-to" message on food, nutrition, or food safety for health professionals,
educators, and consumers. 


FOOD REFLECTIONS is written by Alice Henneman, MS, RD, LMNT, Extension
Educator. FOOD REFLECTIONS is archived on the Internet by Celie McDonnell,
Extension Assistant. 


Your comments and suggestions about FOOD REFLECTIONS are welcome. Send to:
foodtalk@unl.edu


You may reproduce FOOD REFLECTIONS for educational purposes but not for sales
purposes. Please credit as follows: 

FOOD REFLECTIONS Newsletter, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
in Lancaster County (www.lanco.unl.edu/food)


For More Information - For answers to your food, nutrition, and food safety questions,
contact your nearest Cooperative Extension office. Cooperative Extension offices are located
throughout the United States. 


Use of commercial and trade names does not imply approval or constitute endorsement by the
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County. Nor is criticism implied of
products not mentioned.




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If you have trouble subscribing, e-mail Alice Henneman at: AHENNEMAN1@UNL.EDU