Most people are aware of the dangers of undercooked meat and poultry, but it is actually the case that only some meats are dangerous when undercooked or even completely raw. Bacteria like salmonella don't live in all kinds of meat, and some meats don't spoil as fast as others either. While raw food isn't to everyone's taste, you may be surprised to learn that you can eat beef completely raw without putting your health at risk (such as in dishes like beef carpaccio), and of course raw fish in the form of sushi is a pretty popular thing to eat the world over these days. Other meats can be extremely risky to eat if not thoroughly cooked, however.
Here we take a look at the ones you need to be most careful
Chicken: Chicken is one of the most highly consumed proteins in the world, but it is also one of the most dangerous when undercooked as it can harbor salmonella and other harmful bacteria. Chicken is also quite easy to undercook, especially if you are cooking it on the bone and in a form that is hard to accurately control, such as on a barbecue. Always check that chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving by cutting into it and making sure the meat is white rather than pink and slimy, and also be very careful to clean cutting boards and other surfaces where you have been preparing raw chicken before cooking to avoid cross contamination. Wash and disinfect your hands carefully after handling raw chicken or cooking chicken, too.
Pork: Pork spoils faster than any other meat without good refrigeration. In an age where commercial refrigeration is the norm it is safe to keep and eat pork providing you stick with the use by dates, but in the past before people tended to have their own refrigeration at home, pork was usually only eaten when preserved in some way, for example by smoking. Pork that has been preserved can actually be eaten raw (an example being prosciutto, which is smoked but not cooked), but in any other form raw or undercooked pork is bad news. As with chicken, cook all your pork products (except if smoked, dried or otherwise preserved) extremely carefully, and use a meat thermometer to make sure you have cooked them fully before serving.
Don't keep pork for too long before eating, even when cooked, and never leave it out of the fridge. Making sure all of the meat you serve your family is cooked and prepared safely is crucial to avoiding food poisoning and worse, and in some cases these conditions can even be fatal so it really is important to understand the meat you are working with and what needs to be done to ensure it is safe for human consumption. If you are in any doubt, cut the meat and check its appearance or stick it with a thermometer to ensure it has cooked properly. If you are served meat that doesn't look right – don't eat it. The author of this post is Richard Maxell, an employee at AB Restaurant Equipment, specialists in restaurant equipment. An avid car enthusiast, Richard likes to go on long drives during the weekend.
Here we take a look at the ones you need to be most careful
Chicken: Chicken is one of the most highly consumed proteins in the world, but it is also one of the most dangerous when undercooked as it can harbor salmonella and other harmful bacteria. Chicken is also quite easy to undercook, especially if you are cooking it on the bone and in a form that is hard to accurately control, such as on a barbecue. Always check that chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving by cutting into it and making sure the meat is white rather than pink and slimy, and also be very careful to clean cutting boards and other surfaces where you have been preparing raw chicken before cooking to avoid cross contamination. Wash and disinfect your hands carefully after handling raw chicken or cooking chicken, too.
Pork: Pork spoils faster than any other meat without good refrigeration. In an age where commercial refrigeration is the norm it is safe to keep and eat pork providing you stick with the use by dates, but in the past before people tended to have their own refrigeration at home, pork was usually only eaten when preserved in some way, for example by smoking. Pork that has been preserved can actually be eaten raw (an example being prosciutto, which is smoked but not cooked), but in any other form raw or undercooked pork is bad news. As with chicken, cook all your pork products (except if smoked, dried or otherwise preserved) extremely carefully, and use a meat thermometer to make sure you have cooked them fully before serving.
Don't keep pork for too long before eating, even when cooked, and never leave it out of the fridge. Making sure all of the meat you serve your family is cooked and prepared safely is crucial to avoiding food poisoning and worse, and in some cases these conditions can even be fatal so it really is important to understand the meat you are working with and what needs to be done to ensure it is safe for human consumption. If you are in any doubt, cut the meat and check its appearance or stick it with a thermometer to ensure it has cooked properly. If you are served meat that doesn't look right – don't eat it. The author of this post is Richard Maxell, an employee at AB Restaurant Equipment, specialists in restaurant equipment. An avid car enthusiast, Richard likes to go on long drives during the weekend.
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