Home Food Safety Preparation

Preparation

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Food Preparation

Are you curious about what temperature your chicken should be cooked to? What about which cutting board to use when cooking? Do you wonder how long your leftovers are safe to eat? Utilize this page to learn best practices when preparing, cooking, and storing food. 
person washing their hands in kitchen sink

Handwashing

Learn when and how to wash your hands to keep you and your family safe

 Leftover food in glass containers on a counter

Handling Leftovers

Learn how to store, reheat, and when to use leftover food 

 Person checking the temperature of food using a meat thermometer

Cooking Temperatures

Learn safe internal cooking temperatures for meat 
frozen chicken in sealed plastic bag submerged in bowl of water

Thawing Food

Never thaw foods outside, in a garage or basement, or on the kitchen counter. These methods can leave your food unsafe to eat. Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking. However, the quality may suffer due to loss of moisture when thawing. After cooking previously frozen raw foods, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods.

Four Safe Thawing Methods

  1. In the refrigerator, where temperatures are 40 F or cooler
  2. In a sealed, leak-proof plastic bag immersed in cold water; replace water every 30 minutes
  3. Defrost in a microwave; cook it immediately after it has been defrosted.
  4. During the cooking process, such as when cooking frozen hamburger patties on a grill

Food Safety Essentials

Cutting Boards

Have a dedicated meat cutting board for raw meat

To limit cross-contamination, have a dedicated cutting board just for raw meat, and ideally separate ones for red meat, poultry, and seafood. Use different boards for cutting fruits and vegetables, bread, cooked meats, and other ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.

Choose food-safe materials

Most cutting boards are made from plastic, wood, or bamboo.

Replace when there are many cuts

Over time, knives will leave cut marks in cutting boards. Once there are many cut marks, including deep grooves in the surface, it is time for a new cutting board. Cut marks are great places for bacteria to hide. 

Wash and sanitize cutting boards

Wash cutting boards with soap and hot water. For boards that touched raw meat, add a sanitizing step. In a clean sink basin or separate tub, mix ½ tablespoon of unscented bleach with 1 quart (4 cups) of plain water. Add the cutting board so it sits under sanitizing water, and let it sit for several minutes. Remove from water and let air dry. 

Resources

Marinating Meat

Does marinating meat kill bacteria?

Marinades add flavor to meat, poultry, and seafood and can help tenderize tough cuts. Although marinades are acidic from vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid, do not rely on marinades to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Instead, focus on proper use of marinades and effective storage and cooking of meat to control microbes that cause foodborne illness.

Marinade Temperatures

  • Always marinate raw meat in the refrigerator.
  • To use marinade as a sauce or dressing (and the marinade has NOT touched raw meat), add the marinade to a separate container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • To use marinade as a sauce or dressing (and marinade HAS touched raw meat), bring the marinade to a boil, which will kill harmful bacteria.

Marination Time

  • Some marinades only stay on meat for 15-30 minutes before cooking. Use this short time for already-tender meats and seafood that may become tough or mushy with long marinating times
  • Other recipes marinate meat for a few hours, up to 24 hours. Longer marinating times provide more intense flavors and tenderize tough cuts of meat.

Marinade Containers

Marinate raw meat in food-safe materials, including resealable bags (food-safe plastic or silicone), stainless steel, or glass containers.

Clean and Sanitize

Metal and Glass Containers

Use soap and water to clean metal and glass containers that held raw meat and marinade. To sanitize, fill a basin with 1 teaspoon of regular, unscented household bleach for every 4 cups of water; add the container lid and soak for 30 seconds. Remove and let air dry.

Food-safe Plastic

Do not clean and reuse food-safe plastic bags that held raw meat and marinade. Use these only once for marinating, then throw them away.

Silicone Bags

Although silicone bags are reusable, dedicate one bag for marinating meat only. Preferably, use a separate bag for each type of meat (red meat, poultry, or fish). Clean bags with soap and hot water, and sanitize them as you would metal and glass containers. 

Resources