Are You Still Rinsing Poultry? PLEASE, Fuggetaboutit!!!

Posted on 13 December 2007 under Food Safety | 1 Comment

Longtime readers of this blog will already know my feelings on food safety related to the traditional task of rinsing meats and poultry as part of their preparation. For those who missed it, back on July 23rd I wrote a four-part post in one day, all of it on food safety issues. In Part 3 I reiterated a section from an even earlier post. Here’s a snippet:

What’s the key to safe chicken? Rinse it?? Umm, no, that’s not it. Bacteria like to swim. Rinsing only moves them around without getting rid of them. I’m not ServSafe certified (maybe at some point this year), but I have a copy of the coursebook right here. Let’s see, rinsing chicken, rinsing … chicken … poultry … nope, rinsing ain’t in there.

This here ServSafe book says to cook chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) for 15 seconds. For his roast chicken or “poulet roti”, Chef Tony [Bourdain] simply gives oven temps and specific timings, and then says, “If you’re worried about undercooking, with the point of a small knife or with a skewer or cake tester, you can poke the fat part of the thigh. If the liquid that runs out is clear — not pink or red — your bird is cooked.”

As it turns out, rinsing chicken, poultry, meats of any kind, is actually more dangerous than previously thought. Over in Great Britain they have the Food Standards Agency to study and regulate these kinds of issues. Yesterday, the BBC News web site reported on the agency’s findings in this area:

Eight out of 10 people wash their turkeys before cooking them, a survey finds - significantly increasing the risk of food poisoning … The Food Standards Agency (FSA) found women aged over 45 were the most likely offenders, with the North-East of England the worst black spot … The FSA warns against washing meat because harmful bacteria can splash to worktops, dishes and utensils … Germs that cause food poisoning can linger on surfaces for days.

To me, one later sentence in the article is the real kicker:

Results from the survey show that 17% of people are not sure how to tell when their turkey is cooked.

Ouch.

While the FSA’s own page on this issue doesn’t carry temperature info, the BBC News article does say to ensure turkey meat reaches a temperature of 70C [158F] for at least two minutes. Unfortunately, the UK government’s Eatwell web page on cooking turkey doesn’t give a final temperature either. What they do instead is give guesses as to how to tell:

These are the three main ways to tell if poultry is cooked:

  • the meat should be piping hot all the way through
  • when you cut into the thickest part of the meat, none of the meat should be pink
  • if juices run out when you pierce the turkey, or when you press the thigh, they should be clear

Ummmm … no.

Let’s look at these three statements:

  • The meat should be piping hot all the way through — How are you supposed to check this? Cut into every possible portion and touch it with your bare finger? Maybe taste tests? And what if Grandma’s cooking and she just doesn’t like her food to be as “piping hot” as it should be? The phrase “piping hot” is far too ambiguous for this statement to be of any accuracy.
  • When you cut into the thickest part of the meat, none of the meat should be pink — Not! Ok, so that’s a double-negative … From Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook: “Hell, most people figure that if the crispy skin tastes good, and there’s no yucky blood or pink stuff near the bone, that’s a fine roast chicken … Chicken should taste like chicken. Understand also that legs and breasts cook at different rates. In your zeal to make sure that there is no pink (eek!) or red (oooohh!) anywhere in the legs, you are often criminally overcooking your breasts. Find a happy medium. A little pink color by the thigh bone does not necessarily mean you are eating rare poultry.” When it comes to pink poultry, common sense makes the most sense.
  • If juices run out when you pierce the turkey, or when you press the thigh, they should be clear — Bourdain agrees: “If you’re worried about undercooking, with the point of a small knife or with a skewer or cake tester, you can poke the fat part of the thigh. If the liquid that runs out is clear — not pink or red — your bird is cooked.”

Here are the two statements you should follow for checking to see if that turkey’s done, in this order:

  • Using an insta-read thermometer ($5 just about anywhere), ensure turkey meat reaches a temperature of 158F (70C) for at least two minutes.
  • With the point of a small knife or with a skewer or cake tester, you can poke the fat part of the thigh. If the liquid that runs out is clear — not pink or red — your bird is cooked.

That’s it. It’s that simple. And if it’s a little bit pink, that’s ok … you’ve killed the bacteria, which is what really matters.

And remember: Don’t rinse your poultry! In doing so, you’re doing you, and your loved ones, more harm than good.

Food Safety & Traveling

Posted on 20 September 2007 under Food Safety | 1 Comment

Down at the Toledo Blade, Food Editor Kathie Smith has written a detailed article on transporting food safely for tailgating. She gets into the nitty-gritty of a few issues, and has some great ideas. For example, for a chicken sandwich she suggests using whole rotisserie chicken, and:

For food safety, make this sandwich at the site with fresh ingredients.

Make them when they’re needed, not before. They’ll be fresher that way, and will taste better because of it.

A couple weeks ago when we headed up to Millington for the family reunion, Mary and I took the lasagna seen in the top photo of this post. We had also taken a 5 lb tray of Stouffer’s macaroni & cheese. If you’ll look around those other pictures, you’ll find no oven to cook that stuff in. That’s because the lasagna and mac & cheese traveled hot. We’d picked up the Stouffers 5 lb meat lasagna tray and the mac & cheese tray at GFS the day before. I let them thaw, baked them Sunday morning so they’d be done by 9 a.m., and that’s when we left. The trays had their own thick aluminum covers replaced over them, and were in the trunk, each wrapped in two heavy beach towels. I didn’t unwrap them until almost 12:30 p.m. when they were still so hot I had to use potholders to handle them! People liked those two trays so much, they were empty before they had time to cool in the chilly air.

Kathie Smith also says this:

If carrying a grill to a tailgate is part of your plan, be prepared by organizing your ingredients and gear before venturing out.

There are enough decent portable grills out there that this shouldn’t be a problem. Almost any time I’m on a freeway in the summer though, I’ll see at least one pickup with a gas grill bungied into the bed of the truck. Sure, that’s your “best grill”, but have you looked around for something easier to handle? Brinkman is currently offering a tailgating grill through Home Depot that looks to be a killer item for this. Check it out … full-size, four burners … and it folds up into a two-wheeler for travel. Inexpensive? Yup! Not much more than those other, tiny, plastic portables.

And, Kathie Smith again:

Buy the hot dogs, hamburgers, brats, chicken or whatever you are cooking in the city where the game is being played. Keep the perishables on ice in your cooler.

Well, we might have a problem there. If I’m headed somewhere where Koegel Viennas aren’t available, you can bet yer bunsI’m takin’ ‘em with me! But think about that for a moment. She mentions “hot dogs, hamburgers, brats, chicken …” … which of these three is not like the others? Right you are, the hot dogs are pre-cooked. I’d throw a pack or three (pounds) of Koegel Viennas or even GFS 50-for-$6.99 hot dogs in the cooler with some ice and not worry about them for a while. Hamburgers, brats, chicken, “or whatever you are cooking in the city where the game is being played”, most likely those are going to be raw meats or poultry. Yeah, that can wait till you get there. You may be saying, “But the hot dog package says ‘Keep refrigerated’”. Well sure, but you can also use common sense. There’s a point where you’ll need to worry about them, but certainly not as much as with raw meats.

Finally, we need to discuss this one … again, Ms. Smith:

A plate of deviled eggs or even hard-cooked eggs should be kept in the cooler on ice.

If you’re traveling with moi, make sure that’s a locked cooler. I can go through deviled or hard-boiled eggs (with salt) like a five-year-old let loose in a cotton candy factory. Try this for deviled eggs; Next time you make them, cut the eggs width-wise, not lengthwise. When the filling is made, stand the white halves in the egg carton, then, with a star-shaped tip, pipe the filling in, twisting the star tip so the filling stands up in the white, and ends up shaped like the ice cream in a soft-serve cone. It’s one of those little extra things no one ever thinks to do to make a dish look that much more cool.

Have a great tailgating season!

Alberta’s Farmer’s Markets: Contrary to Reports, Really, They’re Ok!

Posted on 30 August 2007 under Farmer's Markets, Food Safety | No Comments

Longtime readers will know that, if I find something that’s mis-reported in some way, I’ll mention it. Sometimes when this happens, I’ll even get thanked for doing so in the comments.

So here we are on the CBC News web site up north with an article titled, “Alberta farmers’ market produce under scrutiny”. The opening paragraph goes like this:

In an unusual move, Alberta health inspectors are buying fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets in the Calgary and Edmonton areas to test its safety.

My first thought? “Good Lord, what kind of outbreak happened up there? Did somebody get some bad spinach??”

Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Not a darn thing happened:

“This is designed to both give us a baseline so that we can let consumers know how safe Alberta-produced food is as well as the producers can have information as to which practices provide them the best opportunity to ensure their product is safe” … There have not been any outbreaks of food-borne illnesses connected with produce grown in the province in recent years, [Sandra] Honour [who is with the food safety division of the Agriculture Department] says.

Ok, ummm … so what’s with the “under scrutiny” headline, and the “In an unusual move … to test its safety” opening paragraph?

That kind of head-shaker is unecessary.

But really, here’s the thing: Should the produce at farmer’s markets be tested?

If you follow various food laws, which include major inspections, almost-exact storage temperatures, etc., etc., ad nauseum, you’ll find we’re not too far from this. Michigan even has its own Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for Michigan Apple Cider. Here, we find such gems as this one:

26. Unpasteurized apple cider must not be made from apples of orchards fertilized with human or animal wastes unless those wastes have been appropriately treated to eliminate pathogens. [FDA Guide To Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards For Fresh Fruits And Vegetables]

I’m sorry, but if someone’s selling me apple cider made from apples of orchards fertilized with “human … waste“, I want to see that on the friggin’ label so I can put the bottle right back where I found it.

I’m honestly afraid of the implications of what’s going on in Alberta. Just two days ago, the same CBC web site posted an article titled, “Meat prices set to soar as production costs mount: analyst“:

Richard Crane, a London-based analyst with the consulting firm Deloitte, said beef, pork and poultry producers are struggling with rising feed costs. Wheat prices reached an unprecedented peak of $7.44 U.S. a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade market last week after climbing steadily for months … Alistair McIntosh, a U.K. farmer, says a rise in prices at the supermarket is inevitable. He says farmers are nearing their breaking point … “We have been producing livestock at below the cost of production for some time now and we cannot continue to do that. It’s important that we do see some rises in the final product,” he said.

If governments such as the one in Alberta add further costs to farmers through safety testing at farmer’s markets, which this baseline testing may be the beginning of, what will this do to the cost of doing business as a farmer? How many will then be able to justify direct sales to consumers if the prices at farmer’s markets go up as well? Will consumers still buy at these markets if this happens?

Food safety is a major issue, there’s no denying it. Just this past Wednesday another spinach recall occurred, but this time with ”no immediate reports of illness linked to the tainted spinach”.

However, in the case of farmer’s markets, particular those in the CBC article about the markets in Alberta:

There have not been any outbreaks of food-borne illnesses connected with produce grown in the province in recent years.

Ummm … what??

There have not been any outbreaks of food-borne illnesses connected with produce grown in the province in recent years.

Yeah, that’s what I thought you said …

I would hasten to guess this thing in Alberta is an attempt to intervene before something happens, as a reaction to recently-reported food safety issues, particularly contaminated wheat gluten from China that made its way through Canada on its way to packaged pet foods in the U.S.

Let’s rewrite the headline for the CBC News article:

Alberta Government Annoys Farmers at Market

Nah, too annoying …

Alberta Government Declares, “Lettuce Turnip and Pea!”

Nah, not enough real info …

Safety of Produce at Alberta Farmer’s Markets To Be Proven by Alberta Government

Yup, that works. There shouldn’t be scare-mongering in the way the article is currently presented. Here’s the first paragraph the way it should be, on behalf of those farmers:

In an unusual move, Alberta health inspectors are buying fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets in the Calgary and Edmonton areas to prove its safety.

This change of a single word supports the farmers, rather than implying there might be something wrong with their goods.

After that, the government should give their recommendations, if they have any, making sure they’re not obnoxious by saying things like, “All markets should be fully enclosed and temperature-controlled” … and then, they should go away, leaving the farmer’s markets alone.

Farmers have enough to deal with, especially with the price of corn skyrocketing, driving up costs for producers, and as a result, consumers.

They don’t need this government meddling on top of it all.

Spoiled Meat Traveling Through the State

Posted on 22 August 2007 under Food In The News, Food Safety | No Comments

The Monroe News reported Saturday on a disturbing development regarding meat intended for restaurants. From the article:

The most recent incident occurred Thursday when a Michigan State Police Motor Carrier officer stopped an extended van full of 500 pounds of spoiled meat that was headed for an Ohio restaurant … The van was obviously overweight and was pulled over on southbound I-75 north of Nadeau Rd. in Frenchtown Township. Officer Paul Chapp reported the rental van had left the Eastern Market in Detroit and was en route to North Olmstead, Ohio, which is a suburb of Cleveland … The van was not refrigerated and was full of 1,500 pounds of meat and produce. Sgt. Dolezal said the temperature of the legs of lamb, sides of beef and poultry was measured at 65 degrees and rising. Meat must be transported at 40 degrees or lower … The van was not insulated and there were no signs that bags of ice were being used. Its destination was still several hours away and the outside temperature was in the 80s. Sgt. Dolezal said blood from the meat was dripping onto the vegetables and fruits.

This is just real, serious insanity. Kinda makes one wonder what else is going on that’s similar. How safe is our food supply? Honestly, I doubt anyone knows.

Strong Comments on Local and Global Food Safety, Part 4

Posted on 23 July 2007 under Food In The News, Food Safety, Rants | No Comments

“Uncle Dave, are we there yet?”

In Part 1 of this multi-part series (maybe we’re finally at the end), I laid out some of what I felt is wrong with food safety issues in this country. In Part 2, I looked at a few of the differences between the U.S. and just a couple other countries with respect to food safety. In Part 3, I described some common myths that are still perpetrated by food safety “experts” in this country, along with some other serious annoyances in the arena of “political food correctness”. From Part 1 from this morning:

Here’s the reality: Regulators are focusing on all the wrong areas of food safety. When it comes to the editorial in yesterday’s Blade, I’m in full agreement. But frankly, the whole so-called “food safety” system in this country needs a flippin’ overhaul.

In Part 1, referring to the Blade editorial, I wrote, “As in any good editorial, the writer gave their own suggestions”. So, without further ado, here are my own thoughts on things that should be done from the federal level:

  1. Outlaw political correctness from any and all previous, current and future food regulations.
  2. Direct the National Restaurant Association to further their efforts in policing themselves via ServSafe, providing partial funding.
  3. Continue retail and non-profit foodservice inspections via county health departments, while allowing for the use of “common sense” during facility operation. Make 100% of restaurant and facility inspection reports available online at county levels across the U.S.
  4. Simplify permits for events lasting less than 96 hours overall, with more simplification for single-day events.
  5. Require each K-12 school kitchen or cafeteria (public or private) be inspected twice annually, and that the director of each cafeteria system be ServSafe certified.
  6. Combine the FDA and USDA food-related inspection and regulatory agencies into a new, single entity.
  7. Ramp-up inspections of both domestic and imported foods in an effort to reach 80% of all products within 5 years.

1. Outlaw political correctness from any and all previous, current and future food regulations.
Yes, some people need to lose weight. Why does the government, or anyone else, feel they have the right or the authority to regulate this, to throw calorie counts in people’s faces, to make the entire restaurant industry change ingredients, change how they operate, just to satisfy political correctness? With the exception of true “companion animals” and real animal cruelty (which excludes the whole foie gras fiasco), what’s on anyone’s dinner plate is no one else’s business.

2. Direct the National Restaurant Association to further their efforts in policing themselves via ServSafe, providing partial funding.
Restaurants owners, Chefs, cooks and the countless others who work in food service, understand their business better than anyone else. To regulate these people without listening to them, as with trans fats, restaurant nutrition info labeling, etc., is more than Orwellian. It’s downright nauseating. Cooking is more art than science, and to involve science to regulate every last aspect of the food industry will only ruin it. These people know their jobs. Help them do it better, trust them with it, get ServSafe built to involve everyone in the industry, and the resulting food will be so much better.

3. Continue retail and non-profit foodservice inspections via county health departments, while allowing for the use of “common sense” during facility operation. Make 100% of restaurant and facility inspection reports available online at county levels across the U.S.
Food inspections are sometimes full of nonsense. Inspection reports such as this one are reported as, “Inspectors observed ‘Several food items at unsafe temperatures’, turkey was being improperly thawed, and other food items weren’t being reheated correctly.” Were they really? Or is this some of the non-common-sense items from that county’s health department? It’s difficult to tell, really, what some of these statements actually mean. But the fact is, some of these processes may have actually been fine. This is where the whole “common sense” aspect comes into play. Counties should post these kinds of reports verbatim. The City of Chicago at least allows you to see the real language of a restaurant’s violations online, so this is certainly possible for most localities to accomplish.

4. Simplify permits for events lasting less than 96 hours overall, with more simplification for single-day events.
Is a full inspection really necessary if a Scout group wants to sell hot dogs and hamburgers at a local fair? Puh-lease … get a responsible adult to understand they’re solely liable if anyone gets sick, and everything will be fine. These people likely cook at home anyway and know what they’re doing. Stop insulting their intelligence by implying they haven’t a clue.

5. Require each K-12 school kitchen or cafeteria (public or private) be inspected twice annually, and that the director of each cafeteria system be ServSafe certified.
This isn’t difficult. Really, it’s not. I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult to find ServSafe-certified chefs or cooks who could take on this inspection task locally to ensure their own and neighboring kids are eating in a safe facility. Again, these pros know what’s needed. Give them a minor stipend, hold their butts responsible, and you’ll have 100% inspections in no time. As to directors being certified, that should be a given.

6. Combine the FDA and USDA food-related inspection and regulatory agencies into a new, single entity.
I could never figure out how and why this split happened. How much duplication of effort is there? Probably substantial. This whole agency thing should be modernized anyway, with less bureaucracy, and more real effort toward solving real problems.

7. Ramp-up inspections of both domestic and imported foods in an effort to reach 80% of all products requiring inspections within 5 years.
Streamlining the agencies into one single entity, no longer playing the “political correctness” game, letting restaurants police themselves as they should … yup, should end up with plenty of qualified inspectors needing jobs.

This is “quick and dirty”. I’ll probably expand on this later. But I should really finish up, especially since …

While I was finishing this up just now, this comment came in from Ria over at the Our World and Everything In It blog here on BlogsMonroe.com. Here’s part of Ria’s comment:

What I’ve seen, read, heard, and witnessed myself, we’re eating crap anyway, so overcooking or undercooking crap is of no consequence. It’s not so much the food prep, the animals are cute, how long is it cooked, it’s how it’s raised period.

Exactly, Ria! From Part 3 of what I’ve written today:

In the mid 20th century, most pork had to be cooked well done because of the fear of trichinosis. But today pork is fed and raised differently and the meat is safe to heat when cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. If the juices run very light pink, the pork is done.

This is not so difficult. Let the restaurant industry police itself. Use government resources, and the resources from individual food production industries, to properly take care of food where it’s raised and processed. The pork industry has proved how this can be accomplished.

Ria gets it. Do you?

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