Raw meat handling mistakes to avoid this Christmas
Beef, chicken and other poultry products are a must cook, especially during the festive season. Many people call for celebration with both or at least either of them.
However, there are many meat handling mistakes that you must watch out for or you will cause food-borne illnesses to your family members.
Dr Simon Mabike, a general practitioner at IHK, says poor handling of meats starts right from storage. When you buy chicken, beef or other poultry from the supermarket, ensure to keep it separate from the other items that you are buying.
Poor storage
“It is very unhealthy for raw meat, chicken and other poultry products you intend to cook to come into contact with other foods. Blood and fluids from meats often leak and drip from packages. If stored on a shelf above ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables, you could contaminate all the food items in your fridge,” says Dr Mabike.
He recommends that chicken packages should be placed on a plate or in a dish and stored on the bottom shelf or in the bottom drawer of the fridge. The plate will capture any juices that leak, protecting everything else stored in the fridge.
“Let the chicken sit for not more than 15 minutes at room temperature. If you leave it out longer than that, you may expose it to food poisoning. But you cannot cook it directly from the fridge or it will have a brownish colour with an undercooked inside,” says Yvonne Nakasi, a freelance chef.
Washing hands
Dr Mabike says during the cooking process, hands are more likely to spread bacteria. Cross contamination occurs in the entire kitchen by simply touching different surfaces with dirty hands. He says:“Take extra care where you touch after handling chicken. It is even advisable that you thoroughly wash your hands with soap and make them dry with a clean dry towel, not the one that you have been using to wipe surfaces lest you pick up bacteria from the towel.”
He advises cooks to wash hands before and after handling food for at least 20 seconds, with soap and warm, running water before and after handling food.
Reusing tools
Chop raw chicken on a separate preparation board from other ingredients you might be slicing or mincing for your meal.
Lilian Nyanzi, a nutritionist at Neulife Medical Centre remarks that tongs, chopping boards and other utensils must be washed first before using them again to prepare another meal or food item, however tempting it is.
Nyanzi says:“If you used tongs to flip raw chicken, do not use the same tongs to toss salads. This can lead to transfer of bacteria from the chicken to the salads. This in turn increases your risk for food-borne illnesses and food poisoning.”
Defrost
“You should not cook beef or chicken directly from your fridge because it may not cook evenly,” says Nakasi. Some people defrost using hot water but this is not advisable, according to Nakasi, because the outer parts of the food item will start cooking before the ice inside melts.
She says: “The best and quickest way is to microwave it on a plate for a minute or continue checking on it if it has defrosted, depending on the size and intensity of the freezing.”
