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Basics for Handling Food Safely
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Safe steps in food handling,
cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You
can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness.
In every step of food preparation, follow the four Fight BAC!™
guidelines to keep food safe:
- Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.
- Separate — Don't cross-contaminate.
- Cook — Cook to proper temperatures.
- Chill — Refrigerate promptly.
Shopping
- Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.
- Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
- Do not buy food past "Sell-By," "Use-By," or other expiration
dates.
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Storage
- Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when
the temperature is above 90 °F).
- Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with
an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F
or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below.
- Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety
meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3
to 5 days.
- Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely
to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto
other food.
- To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original
package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that
is recommended for the freezer.
- In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit,
and pineapple can be stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months.
Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables
will keep 2 to 5 years — if the can remains in good condition
and has been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans
that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted.
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Preparation
- Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
- Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their
juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils, and countertops
with hot, soapy water.
- Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented,
liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
- Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.
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Thawing
- Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow,
safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not
drip onto other food.
- Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food
in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap water. Change
the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.
- Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately
after microwave thawing.
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Cooking
Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a
food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes
before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
Ground meats: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
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Serving
- Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer.
- Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder.
- When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes,
slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes
in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace them often.
- Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at
room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
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Leftovers
- Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than
2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 90 °F).
- Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the
refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
- Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.
- Reheat leftovers to 165 °F.
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Refreezing
Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before
or after cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.
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Cold Storage Chart
These short, but safe, time limits will help keep refrigerated food
from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. Because freezing keeps
food safe indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality
only.
| Cold
Storage Chart |
| Product |
Refrigerator (40 °F) |
Freezer (0 °F) |
| Eggs |
| Fresh, in shell |
3 to 5 weeks |
Do not freeze |
| Raw yolks & whites |
2 to 4 days |
1 year |
| Hard cooked |
1 week |
Does not freeze well |
| Liquid
pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes |
| Opened |
3 days |
Does not freeze well |
| Unopened |
10 days |
1 year |
| Mayonnaise,
Commercial |
Refrigerate after opening |
2 months |
Do not freeze |
| Frozen
Dinners & Entrees |
| Keep frozen until ready to
heat |
— |
3 to 4 months |
| Deli &
Vacuum-Packed Products |
| Store-prepared (or homemade)
egg, chicken, ham, tuna, & macaroni salads |
3 to 5 days |
Does not freeze well |
| Hot dogs
& Luncheon Meats |
| Hot dogs |
| Opened package |
1 week |
1 to 2 months |
| Unopened package |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
| Luncheon
meat |
| Opened package |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Unopened package |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
| Bacon &
Sausage |
| Bacon |
7 days |
1 month |
| Sausage, raw — from chicken,
turkey, pork, beef |
1 to 2 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Smoked breakfast links, patties |
7 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Hard sausage — pepperoni,
jerky sticks |
2 to 3 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
Summer
sausage
labeled "Keep Refrigerated" |
| Opened |
3 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
| Unopened |
3 months |
1 to 2 months |
| Corned
Beef |
| Corned beef, in pouch with
pickling juices |
5 to 7 days |
Drained, 1 month |
Ham, canned
labeled "Keep Refrigerated" |
| Opened |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Unopened |
6 to 9 months |
Do not freeze |
| Ham, fully
cooked |
| Vacuum sealed at plant, undated,
unopened |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
| Vacuum sealed at plant, dated,
unopened |
"Use-By" date on
package |
1 to 2 months |
| Whole |
7 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Half |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Slices |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Hamburger,
Ground & Stew Meat |
| Hamburger & stew meat |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
| Ground turkey, veal, pork,
lamb, & mixtures of them |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
| Fresh Beef,
Veal, Lamb, Pork |
| Steaks |
3 to 5 days |
6 to 12 months |
| Chops |
3 to 5 days |
4 to 6 months |
| Roasts |
3 to 5 days |
4 to 12 months |
| Variety meats — tongue,
liver, heart, kidneys, chitterlings |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
| Pre-stuffed, uncooked pork
chops, lamb chops, or chicken breasts stuffed with dressing |
1 day |
Does not freeze well |
Soups & Stews
Vegetable or meat added |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 3 months |
| Fresh Poultry |
| Chicken or turkey, whole |
1 to 2 days |
1 year |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces |
1 to 2 days |
9 months |
| Giblets |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
| Cooked
Meat and Poultry Leftovers |
| Cooked meat & meat casseroles |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 3 months |
| Gravy & meat broth |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 3 months |
| Fried chicken |
3 to 4 days |
4 months |
| Cooked poultry casseroles |
3 to 4 days |
4 to 6 months |
| Poultry pieces, plain |
3 to 4 days |
4 months |
| Poultry pieces in broth, gravy |
3 to 4 days |
6 months |
| Chicken nuggets, patties |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 3 months |
| Other Cooked
Leftovers |
| Pizza, cooked |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 2 months |
| Stuffing, cooked |
3 to 4 days |
1 month |
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Last Modified:
June 29, 2011 |
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