Safe Food Preparation

REFRIGERATE fresh meat promptly!

SET your refrigerator at home to 40° F.

KEEP your meat frozen until you're ready to thaw it.

THAW poultry, beef, and pork in the refrigerator. Frozen turkey can also be thawed in cold water.

PLACE leftovers in a refrigerator within two hours of cooking.

EAT refrigerated meat within 3 to 4 days.

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.

DON'T cross-contaminate.

SEPARATE fresh meat from other food in your grocery cart, shopping bags, AND in the refrigerator.

KEEP cutting boards and utensils used for each food separate to prevent spreading germs.

PLACE cooked food on a clean plate – never on a plate that held raw meat.

COOK to a safe temperature.

USE a food thermometer every time you cook fresh poultry, beef, and pork to reach its proper internal temperature in order to kill harmful bacteria.

COOK poultry to 165° F, and cook ground beef and pork to 160° F.

CHECK this Safe Cooking Temperatures guide to safely cook other cuts of beef, pork, and poultry.

REMEMBER: You can never tell if meat is cooked properly by looking at it.