better
HEALTH
Kitchen Cabinetry: IKEA. Microwave: LOWE'S.
2 3 8
APRIL 2010
B E T T E R H O M E S A N D G A R D E N S
co-author of
Nutrition: From
Science to You
and professor at
Boston University. This occurs,
for example, when bacteria
from raw chicken travel to salad
greens. Prep produce and
ready-to-eat foods first, then
handle raw meat or fish. Use
separate utensils and cutting
boards for each.
►CLEAN THOSE UTENSILS
Need to reuse a plate or knife
after it touches raw meat?
First clean it with hot, soapy
water and dry thoroughly.
►WASH PRODUCE Use running
water and a vegetable brush to
scrub firm types, like potatoes.
►DEFROST IN THE FRIDGE
Don’t assume frozen foods get a
free pass. When you defrost a
dish on the counter, the outside
reaches room temperature first,
leaving plenty of time for
bacteria to grow while the inside
is still frozen, says Salge Blake.
Defrosting in the fridge keeps
the outside cold enough to
inhibit the growth of bacteria.
Defrosted one chicken breast
too many? It’s safe to promptly
refreeze food thawed in the
fridge without cooking it.
C O O K I N G
►TEST FOR DONENESS You
can’t rely on
2 0 /2 0
vision when it
comes to killing bacteria, says
Salge Blake. USDA research
shows that a quarter of burgers
will turn brown—and look
done—before registering the
internal temperature of i
6
o°F
needed to kill pathogens. Steaks
and roasts need to reach i
4 5
°F;
poultry should hit i
6 5
°F. For
more minimum temperatures,
visit
foodsafety.gov/keep/
charts/mintemp.html.
For buying information seepage 259.
