1. Do It Right
There's nothing quite like a hot, juicy cheeseburger or a thick steak. Meat is definitely a staple of most American diets. Most Americans who aren't vegetarian eat meat at least once a day, so proper preparation and cooking is important. Salmonella, E. coli, and other bacteria can thrive in raw or undercooked meat and cause serious illness or food poisoning. No matter what you cook or how you prepare it, cooking safely means knowing how to cook meat properly to avoid food poisoning.
2. Don't Cut It Close
Use a clean, dry cutting board if you have to trim fat, cut meat into chunks or skin meat before cooking it. Transfer meat from the cutting board directly to the pan or dish you're cooking it in to avoid contaminating countertops or work surfaces. Use a separate cutting board to cut vegetables, herbs and any other ingredients for the meal; wash the cutting board you used for the meat immediately in hot, soapy water. Some health professionals recommend designating one cutting board in your kitchen to be used for meat only to help further avoid contamination.
3. Use Safe Utensils
Cook meat with high quality utensils that are in good condition. Do not use plastic or wooden utensils with scratches or grooves in them; bacteria can become trapped in these tiny hiding places and cause food poisoning. Instead, use metal utensils like tongs and spatulas that are scratch-resistant. These utensils are easy to clean thoroughly and bacteria have a harder time clinging to the utensil surface. Don't use the same utensils to handle raw meat and serve cooked meat. Bacteria can be transferred to the cooked meat from the utensils so always use new, clean utensils to serve cooked meat.
4. Go All the Way
Make sure you cook meat thoroughly and don't serve it until it has been cooked through. If you're cooking chicken or poultry, the meat should not be pink at all and the juices should run clear. Invest in a meat thermometer and use it to determine whether your meat is cooked safely based on its internal temperature. The recommended internal temperature for cooking chicken is 170 degrees. Ground beef is safe when its internal temperature is 160 degrees. Steak is considered safe at anywhere from 130 degrees for rare steak to 165 degrees for a more well-done steak. This is the temperature at which all bacteria in the meat will have been killed and the meat is safe for consumption.
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