Last time we were together we talked about avoiding cross-contamination by keeping foods separate.Today we'll talk about:

COOKING TO PROPER TEMPERATURES

Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria that can cause foodbourne illness.

So....If we are going to be talking about temperature,guess what you're going to need!

"A thermometer????"

Riiiiiiight! But not just any thermometer, you're going to need one specifically meant for food. Let's face it, the one that you stuck in your ear last week  to see if you had a fever of 102 isn't going to do you the least bit of good here! As a matter of fact that's just plain ol' nasty if you do that!

There are so many different types of food thermometers out on the market. There are analog (regular,non electronic or digital) thermometers. Then there are those that I just made a kind of quick reference to. (Digital,electronic,and the like).There are those meant for testing the temperature of meat.Then there is the candy thermometer (specifically made for testing liquids and sugar and so on for candy making).

We are at this present time interested in food thermometers (and the ones for meat also)

Here are some tips to follow for using thermometers:

    * Use a clean thermometer, which measures the internal temperature of cooked foods, to make sure foods are cooked all the way through.

    * Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145 degees farenheit (62.77 oh heck just round up to 63 degrees celcius).Whole poultry should be cooked to 180 degrees farenheit(83 degrees celcius) for doneness.

    * Cook ground beef thoroughly.(bacteria can spread through it when it is being processed at the plant etc.)Cook it to at least 160 degrees farenheit(72 degrees celcius). Do not eat ground beef that is still pink inside.

    *Cook eggs until the yolk and the white are firm. Try not to use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.

    *Fish should be opaque and easily flake with a fork.

    * Bring sauces,soups,and gravy to a boil when reheating. Heat other left-overs thoroughly to at least 165 degrees farenheit( 74 degrees celcius)

Next time we meet we will be talking about:

Chill! Refrigerate your food promptly.