October 12, 2009
When Buying Meat on Sale, Be Sure to Practice Food Safety When Freezing, Cooking
LINCOLN, Neb. — To save money, many people may be stocking up on hamburger and chicken sales, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln food safety specialist says.
While this is a great way to plan for future meals and save money, food safety still needs to come into play when it comes to storing and cooking this meat and poultry, said Julie Albrecht, food safety specialist in the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
When freezing, consumers should be sure the meat is in a container or freezer bags so that quality stays up to par, she said.
"If the meat is wrapped in paper at the grocery store, it still is a good idea to put it in a freezer bag or another freezer-safe container," she said. "In addition, the freezer should be kept at a temperature of zero degrees and below."
Kept at this temperature, meat should stay fresh for three to nine months. If the freezer can get to below zero, it can keep for an even longer time.
"Freezers connected to refrigerators are only meant for short-term storage and can only keep meat fresh for about three months," she said.
It also is important to remember that freezing food does not kill all bacteria. Proper cooking is still needed, Albrecht said.
"When it comes to thawing the meat, be sure that is done in the refrigerator and not the counter. Be sure that juices do not leak and contaminate other food," she said.
When cooking the meat, hamburger must be cooked to 160 degrees to be safe to eat. Chicken needs to be cooked to 165 degrees to be safe.
These are temperatures that can kill potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.
"The key thing is to cook meat and poultry properly," she said. A meat thermometer should be used to make sure that the meat is cooked to the proper internal temperature.
"Meat thermometers are inexpensive and available at most grocery and discount stores," she said.
When preparing food, it is important that meat and poultry juices do not come in contact with other foods and that all surfaces are cleaned and sanitized.
A bleach solution (1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water) or antibacterial spray or wipe should be used to clean surfaces.
If using a kitchen dish towel or sponge to clean up spills, be sure that it is laundered right away or put in the bleach solution. Cutting boards should be cleaned off with a bleach solution or simply put in the dishwasher.
"Dish towels should be changed frequently anyway, or paper towels could be used,"Albrecht said.
Albrecht recommends people have on hand several dish towels, which also are inexpensive.
Additional Nebraska Extension resources to meet today's challenges are available at the UNL Managing Tough Times Web site.
10/12/09-SK Julie Albrecht - Ph.D.
Nutrition and Health Sciences Professor (402) 472-7919
 
Sandi Alswager Karstens IANR News and Photography (402) 472-3030
Department:
Nutrition and Health Sciences
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