I was shopping in Kroger and picked up one of their pamphlets off the meat market counter and thought you might like to have this info, too. Now that summer is fast approaching, it’s a great time to start grilling! I love Kroger’s meat market!
1. REFRIGERATE fresh meat promptly.
– USE a cooler or chill bag to keep meat cold on the way home from the store or outside by the grill, especially on warm
days.
– SET your refrigerator at home to 40° F.
– THAW or marinate beef, pork and poultry in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen
counter.
– KEEP cold food and perishables on ice at picnics and cookouts.
– PLACE leftover cooked foods in a refrigerator or cooler with ice within two hours.
2. CLEAN hands & surfaces often.
– WASH hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
– WASH cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water after preparing each food item.
– USE paper towels and soap to clean kitchen surfaces often. Or clean cloth towels frequently in your washing machine’s hot
cycle to kill bacteria.
3. DON’T cross contaminate.
– SEPARATE fresh meat from other food in your grocery cart, shopping bags, in the refrigerator and by the grill.
– KEEP cutting boards and utensils separate to prevent spreading germs.
– PLACE cooked food on a clean plate – never on a plate that held raw meat.
4. COOK to a safe temperature.
– USE a food thermometer every time you cook fresh beef, pork and poultry to reach its
proper internal temperature and kill harmful bacteria.
– COOK ground beef and pork to 160° F, and cook ground turkey and chicken to 165°
F.
– CHECK this cooking temperature guide to safely grill other cuts of fresh beef, pork and poultry.
– REMEMBER: You can never tell if meat is cooked properly by looking at it.
Safe Cooking Temperatures
Internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer.
Ground Meat
Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb 160° F
Turkey, Chicken 165° F
Fresh Beef, Veal,
Lamb
Medium Rare 145° F
Medium 160° F
Well Done 170° F
Poultry
Chicken, Turkey, whole 165° F
Poultry parts 165° F
Duck & Goose 165° F
Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird) 165° F
Fresh Pork
All Pork 160° F
Ham
Fresh (raw) 160° F
Pre-cooked (to reheat) 140° F BuyWritingEsse.com
