JACKSON, Tenn. — Cooking at home can bring many different benefits, however, it is important to be aware of a few tips to make sure you are staying safe.
Whether you want to save money or eat more healthy foods, cooking at home is a wonderful thing to do. However, there are a few dangers that need to be avoided. Keeping food at the correct temperature is critical to prevent illness.
“We want to be sure we keep food out of the danger zone. That is 40 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When food is in that temperature range, bacteria tends to multiply quickly and that is what can cause foodborne illness,” said Ginger Rowsey, public information officer for the Jackson-Madison County Health Department.
Other than keeping a thermometer on your food at all times, which can be unrealistic, what are some ways we can be sure to keep food out of the danger zone?
“Not leaving food out too long. You don’t want to leave food out more than two hours. Especially if you are outside on a really hot day, maybe just one hour. But we want to be sure we’re getting that food back into the proper temperature. Keeping cold foods cold and keeping hot foods hot,” said Rowsey.
Another important factor to remember is cross contamination. If you are handling raw meat at all, you want to make sure everything it touches is cleaned.
“So if you’re grilling outside you want to use a separate plate to take out the raw meat and then come back with a clean plate to put the burgers or the cooked chops on the plate. So that way you’re not getting cross contamination between your plate, your utensils, and any of that stuff,” said Rowsey.
Washing your hands every time you come in contact with raw meat is also incredibly important.
Different meats require different temperatures in order to be considered safe for eating. Knowing these temperatures and having a thermometer can help tremendously.
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