Defrosting, Preparing, and Cooking Meat
- Defrost frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator; under cold running water in airtight packaging; or in the microwave. Never thaw at room temperature, in the sink or on the counter. Cook microwave-thawed foods immediately. Meat and poultry thawed in the refrigerator may be refrozen. It is not necessary to rinse raw red meat or poultry before cooking.
- Always marinate meat and poultry in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.
- When grilling, use separate plates for carrying raw and cooked meat. Never put cooked meat on the same plate used for raw meat. That’s cross contamination!
- Stuffing whole poultry must be done with special care because bacteria from raw poultry can multiply in the stuffing. Stuff just before cooking, stuff loosely (no more than ⅔ full), and be sure the stuffing reaches 165° F — either inside the bird or when cooking it in a casserole.
- Use a meat thermometer to be sure meat and poultry reach a safe temperature. Beef, veal and lamb roasts, steaks and chops can be cooked to 145° F (medium rare) to 160° F (medium). All ground meats and pork should be cooked to 160° F; ground poultry, 165° F; whole poultry, 180° F; poultry breasts, 170° F.
Source: FMI
