Eating safely in a risky world

Of course, the unappetizing news about double dead meat being sold on the market gave us a horrible shudder or two. Certainly not a topic you’d want to discuss at the dining table while you’re enjoying a hefty serving of tender and juicy grilled marinated pork chop.

The dreaded words “double dead meat” mean meat (pork) from an animal that has died of disease (or natural cause). Instead of destroying it, unscrupulous businessmen sell it. They fatten their purses at the expense of the poor, who will buy whatever they can afford to put food on the table for the family and keep hunger away from the door.

In a risky world such as ours, it’s smart to know how to eat wisely and safely. Medical journalist Carol Turkington shares some street-smart tips on buying, storing, and cooking food safely in her absorbing book Protect Yourself from Contaminated Food & Drink (which I’ve safely hoarded in my bookshelf of health books these past many decades).

Buying Meat

• Look for these telltale signs when buying meat or poulty:

1. Frozen meat: White or bleached color

indicates spoilage.

2. Pork: Darkened lean meat and discolored or

rancid rind.

3. Lamb: Brown color.

4. Poultry: Soft, flabby flesh, purplish or

greenish color, abnormal odor, stickiness under wings and joints, darkened wing tips.

Buying Packaged Foods

• The package should not be torn, damaged or opened, or contain spoiled or moldy food.

Buying Canned Foods

• Can should have no rust or corrosion.

• Don’t buy dented cans, especially if dent affects seal.

• Don’t buy leaking, bulging or swollen cans.

Storing Food

• As soon as you get home from the supermarket, unload the perishables first and put them in the refrigerator or freezer immediately. It’s best to leave meat and poultry in their original packaging (provided it’s clean and not torn). This lessens the risk of contamination.

• Put eggs in their original grocery carton in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Take double note: Never store eggs on the door as it’s not cold enough (I don’t understand why refrigerators have their egg compartments behind the door). Don’t wash eggs before storing.

• To keep food safe, temperature in the refrigerator must be 40°F or below. Allow air to circulate around refrigerated items. To keep bacteria that’s in the air out of food, always wrap food stored in the ref.

• If you’re freezing meat or poultry in its original package for longer than two months, overwrap the package with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper. Or put the package inside a plastic bag.

• All staples should be kept dry and stored either in their own packages or in dry, airtight containers. Any moisture that gets into the food (even high humidity) can spoil it. If you notice mold or mildew in the package, throw it out as the food is spoiled.

• Never store food directly under a sink or in cabinets that have water, drain, or heating pipes passing through as it can attract insects and rodents through openings that are hard to seal. Always keep food off the floor and away from cleaning supplies.

Handling Food

• The single (and simplest) most important thing you can do to keep your food safe is to wash your hands before touching it. If, for instance, you wear rings or fake nails and your hands have touched raw chicken parts or burger patties, be sure to scrub the areas around your rings and nails. If soap doesn’t work, use a nail file to clean under the nails. Better yet, remove your jewelry before touching raw meat and fish.

• Wash your cutting board and utensils with hot soapy water before touching food with them.

• At least once a week, sanitize your sink, counters, utensils, and cutting boards with a chlorine solution of two teaspoonfuls of bleach in one quarter of water. Let the solution stand before rinsing off.

• Did you know that the (seemingly harmless) kitchen sponge may actually harbor more bacteria than the toilet seat? Studies on bacteria at home reveal that the germiest, dirtiest place in our house is the kitchen. And the worst culprits are sponges and dishcloths.

If you’re going to use a sponge or dishcloth to clean your counters, you have to have several — one for the dishes, one for wiping the sink, and one for cleaning other kitchen surfaces. And never let the sponges and cloths sit in water as this encourages bacterial growth. Discard sponges for wiping dishes or countertops after one week or run them through the dishwasher or sanitize them by putting them — moist! — in the microwave for one minute.

Safe Cooking

• Thaw/defrost food in the refrigerator, not on a counter at room temperature. A faster way to thaw food safely is in a cold-water bath. Thaw sealed packages in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes, to ensure food is kept cold. Or you can use the microwave to thaw food as long as you plan to cook the food as soon as it’s defrosted.

• If you’re marinating food, do so properly so you add flavor and not bacteria to the food. Never set an open dish of food to marinate on your counter while you’re vacuuming the house. Marinate food in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

• Always defrost meat before grilling. When you try to get a piece of frozen meat cooked all the way through, chances are you’ll burn the surface.

The burning question is: Is charring a cancer risk? Research shows that cancer-causing materials are produced by the actual cooking of the food on the grill. When the flames sear the surface of the meat, carbon in the food is heated in a way that produces aromatic hydrocarbons on the surface. Even if you don’t char the meat, high heat can cause substances in the meat to react, producing a group of chemicals that has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals.

How to avoid charring? Microwave food so that it’s partially cooked, just before grilling. Precooking also removes some of the juices that contain some of the substances that can turn into harmful chemicals during cooking.

Cooking Eggs

Eggs are probably something we cook and eat every day so it’s important that we know how to cook them to ward off bacteria. The USDA prescribes the following:

• Fried eggs: Cook for two to three minutes on each side (or four minutes total in a covered pan) until yolk thickens.

• Scrambled eggs: Cook until firm (not runny) for at least one minute.

• Poached eggs: Cook for five minutes over boiling water.

• Soft-boiled eggs: Cook in the shell in boiling water for seven minutes.

As we always say: Eat, drink, and be wary.

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