Keep Food Out of the "Danger Zone"
You just cooked dinner and set the food out for everyone to dig in. You sit down to eat, and after the family wants to turn on a movie. But first, should you put the food away? The movie is only a couple of hours long. The food should be good for that long, right?
According to the FDA, food should never be left out of refrigeration for over two hours! When storing your leftovers, be sure to place the food in a shallow container before you refrigerate. A shallow container allows the food to cool quickly when it is placed in the fridge.
When cooking your food, be sure to cook them for long enough to get them out of the danger zone! You should purchase a meat thermometer to make sure the proper internal temperature has been reached.
- Beef, Pork, Lamb: 145 °F
- Fish: 145 °F
- Ground Beef, Pork, Lamb: 160 °F
- Turkey, Chicken, Duck: 165 °F
Don’t just rely on sight! Your meat may look good on the outside, but the inside may not have gotten out of that danger zone.