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I
made a meatloaf the other night and
it stayed red on the surface and all
the way through, even though I
cooked it very well done. Is this a
bad thing?
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I
work during the week. Can I speed up
defrosting my beef by leaving it on
the counter in the morning or by
running it under warm water?
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In
the summertime we grill and eat
outdoors quite a bit. Are there
extra precautions we should take
with meat during the hotter weather
to keep our meals safe?
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I
made a meatloaf the other night and
it stayed red on the surface and all
the way through, even though I
cooked it very well done. Is this a
bad thing?
Don't worry. If you cooked the loaf
to an internal temperature of at
least 160ºF, there shouldn't be a
problem. Due to the natural nitrate
content of certain ingredients often
used in meatloaf, such as onions,
celery and bell peppers, meatloaf
may remain pink even when a 160ºF
internal temperature has been
reached. Always check the internal
temperature of meatloaf using a meat
thermometer or instant-read
thermometer to be certain it reaches
160ºF.
Check out our section on
Getting Ready to Cook for more
info about doneness & temperature.
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I
work during the week. Can I speed up
defrosting my beef by leaving it on
the counter in the morning or by
running it under warm water?
Absolutely not! Both of these
methods are terribly unsafe. Only
defrost beef in the refrigerator or
microwave oven and NEVER at room
temperature. If defrosting meat in
the microwave, you must finish
cooking it immediately. Plan ahead
and follow these general guidelines
for refrigerator thawing:
• Allow
about 24 hours to defrost a 1 to
1-1/2-inch thick
package of ground beef or beef
pieces; 12 hours to
defrost 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick
patties.
• Allow
12 to 24 hours to defrost
steaks, depending on
thickness.
• Allow
4 to 7 hours per pound to
defrost large roasts or thick
compact pot roasts.
Allow 3 to 5 hours per pound to
defrost small roasts or thin pot
roasts.
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In
the summertime we grill and eat
outdoors quite a bit. Are there
extra precautions we should take
with meat during the hotter weather
to keep our meals safe?
Safe food handling practices should
be followed year-round, although
they become even more important when
temperatures are higher. Most of
them have to do with avoiding
cross-contamination. In simpler
terms, this means keeping raw meat
and meat juices separate from cooked
foods at every stage of handling.
• Wash
hands, utensils, cutting
surfaces and counters with
hot soapy water after contact
with raw meat and meat
juices.
• Keep
raw meat and meat juices from
coming into contact
with other foods during
refrigeration and during
preparation.
• Reserve
carving boards for meat. Keep
them separate
from other food preparation
boards.
• Never
place cooked foods on the same
platter, board or
tray that held raw meat. Carry
uncooked meat out to the
grill on one plate; use a
clean plate for the return
trip with the cooked meat.
• When
basting grilled meats, brush
sauce only on cooked
surfaces.
• Always
marinate meat in the
refrigerator, NEVER at room
temperature.
• Never
save or reuse a marinade.
• Serve
cooked meat as soon as possible.
Don't let it sit out
or at room temperature for
more than 1 hour.
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