Some foods are more likely than others to carry germs that cause food poisoning — and those germs can spread from them to you, to kitchen surfaces and to other food. Knowing which foods are riskier, and following four simple steps, cuts the risk.
The riskier foods
- raw or undercooked poultry, meat, seafood or eggs
- raw or undercooked sprouts
- unwashed fruits and vegetables
- cut melon
- unpasteurized milk, juice, cider or soft cheese
- raw dough or batter made with uncooked flour
More: safer food choices.
1. Clean
Food-poisoning germs survive in many places and travel around a kitchen.
- Wash your hands before, during and after preparing food, and before eating — for at least 20 seconds, with soap and warm or cold water. Always wash after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, flour or eggs.
- Wash utensils, cutting boards and counters in hot, soapy water after each food.
- Rinse fresh fruit and vegetables under running water.
2. Separate
Raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat food.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Shopping | keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and their juices away from other food |
| Storing | keep raw or marinating meat, poultry, seafood and eggs apart from everything else, in sealed containers or well wrapped so juices can't leak |
| Preparing | use one cutting board or plate for raw meat, poultry and seafood, and another for produce, bread and anything that won't be cooked |
Don't wash raw chicken. It's ready to cook, and washing it can splash germs onto other food, the sink and the counter. If you do wash it, do it as safely as possible.
CDC
3. Cook
Food is safe when its internal temperature is high enough to kill germs — and the only way to know is a food thermometer. Color and texture can't tell you, except for seafood. Learn where to place the thermometer.
| Food | Safe internal temperature |
|---|---|
| Whole cuts of beef, veal, lamb and pork, including fresh ham | 145°F, then rest 3 minutes before carving or eating |
| Fish with fins | 145°F, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork |
| Ground meats such as beef and pork | 160°F |
| All poultry, including ground chicken and turkey | 165°F |
| Leftovers and casseroles | 165°F |
A fuller chart covers shellfish, precooked ham and more.
Microwaving: follow cooking and standing times — a few minutes' rest lets cold spots heat through. Check your microwave's wattage (inside the door, in the manual or on the maker's website): at 800 watts or more, use the minimum recommended time; at 300–500 watts, the maximum. Reheated food should reach 165°F.
4. Chill
Bacteria multiply fast at room temperature — the "Danger Zone" of 40°F to 140°F.
- Refrigerate perishables within 2 hours — meat, seafood, dairy, cut fruit, some vegetables and leftovers — or within 1 hour if it's above 90°F, as in a hot car or at a picnic.
- Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below; use an appliance thermometer if there's no built-in one, and know when to throw food out.
- Divide warm or hot food into several clean, shallow containers before refrigerating; small portions of hot food chill quickly and can go straight in.
- Thaw in the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave — never on the counter, where the outside warms up and bacteria multiply.
Recalled food
Throw it away, and clean your refrigerator if it was stored there. CDC also has food-safety materials for print, web and social media.
Sources
Based on "Four Steps to Food Safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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