Food Safety Tips: Cooking

Ever sunk your teeth into a juicy chicken drumstick only to find the meat bloody at the bone? Apart from being unappetising, undercooked meat may be dangerous as it can carry a range of harmful bacteria including Campylobacter, Salmonella
and E. coli.

Exposing yourself to these nasties can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines.

Always defrost frozen foods thoroughly before cooking, unless the manufacturer’s instructions tell you to cook from frozen. Defrosting ensures the food will cook properly and within the normal cooking time. Foods shouldn’t be left on the kitchen bench to defrost as this increases the chances of bacteria growing because the defrosted surface quickly warms to room temperature, even though the middle might still be frozen. The safest way to defrost foods is to put them in the fridge overnight or – if you are running out of time – use the defrost or lowest power setting on your microwave.

It is important to ensure that minced meat and sausages are cooked right through, and poultry is cooked through to the bone. The best way to be sure meat is properly cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Colour is not a good indicator – uncooked products can appear brown and some cooked meats can appear pink or red. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook poultry and pork until the juices run clear and sausages and meat patties until they are no longer pink in the middle.

Any uneaten food should be put in the fridge within two hours of cooking, and when reheating leftovers make sure they are piping hot through to the centre.