| There are several variations drifting around as to how | | | | parts get a chance to thaw—and poultry is |
| different meats should be cooked and stored. While | | | | notorious for this! NEVER thaw chicken on the counter |
| you may understand the rules about cooking and | | | | or using hot water; this creates a breeding ground for |
| storing chicken, what do you know about cooking and | | | | bacteria. |
| storing, say, venison? In this article, we are going to | | | | Chicken, turkey, duck, and goose should all be cooked |
| discuss the proper ways to cook and store a variety | | | | to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Again, the |
| of common (and maybe not so common) meats. | | | | safest way to check the core temperature of the |
| Beef, Venison, Lamb, and Veal | | | | meat is to insert a food thermometer into the meat. |
| It's best to let the meat thaw in the refrigerator | | | | Once the temperature reads at least 165 degrees, it is |
| overnight. Leave the meat wrapped up and set it on a | | | | ready to eat. |
| plate in the refrigerator. Another method of thawing is | | | | Chicken can only be refrozen if there are ice crystals |
| to place the meat in an air-tight bag (plastic wrap or | | | | on the meat. If it doesn't have any, you need to finish |
| Ziploc work well) and set it in a bowl in the sink. Fill the | | | | thawing it, cook it, and then freeze it. You may have to |
| bowl with cold water. The water may need replacing | | | | slice into the meat to determine if there are ice |
| every 30 minutes or so to avoid the meat reaching a | | | | crystals in the center. If you are unsure, it's better to |
| temperature above 40 degrees F. If your microwave | | | | take the safe route and cook it. |
| has a thaw or defrost setting, you can also use this. | | | | Pork |
| When cooking your food, it's best to use an internal | | | | As with the previously mentioned meats, pork can also |
| thermometer to test the core temperature of the | | | | be thawed using the refrigerator and cold water |
| meat. This is the safest and easiest way to tell if the | | | | methods. Again, as pork is particularly easy to cook in |
| meat has reached a safe temperature—one | | | | a microwave, it is recommended that you do not |
| that will have killed any bacteria that may have been | | | | attempt to thaw pork meat in the microwave. |
| present. For beef, venison, lamb, and veal, the | | | | Pork must be cooked to an internal temperature of |
| temperature throughout must reach a minimum of 160 | | | | 160 degrees F. Pork, although considered a red meat, |
| degrees F. Once you've cooked the core to at least | | | | will actually turn a white color when fully cooked, but |
| 160F, it is safe to eat, although some people may | | | | you should still verify the core temperature using a |
| prefer to let it cook a little longer, depending upon | | | | thermometer. If you want to re-heat fully-cooked ham, |
| personal preference. | | | | bring it to an internal temperature of at least 140 |
| Beef, venison, lamb, and veal that has been thawed in | | | | degrees F. |
| the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking as | | | | Ham may be re-frozen if there are still ice crystals in |
| long as there are still ice crystals on the meat and | | | | the meat. If the meat has already thawed, it may be |
| there is no discoloration or funky smells emitting from | | | | cooked and re-frozen, but be very careful to check |
| the meat. If you are thawing meat via the cold water | | | | for any discoloration or foul odors. |
| method, you must cook the meat before refreezing it. | | | | No matter what type of meat you want to store in the |
| Meat that has been thawed using a microwave | | | | freezer, it is best to wrap it several times in a heavy |
| absolutely must be cooked directly after thawing, and it | | | | duty freezing foil, and then place in a Ziploc bag or |
| is not recommended that you refreeze it as the taste, | | | | wrap several times in plastic wrap. The better you seal |
| texture, and overall quality will drastically decrease. | | | | your meat, the longer it will hold a good flavor and |
| Chicken, Turkey, Duck, and Goose | | | | texture. You should be aware that cooking and |
| Poultry meats can be thawed in the refrigerator or by | | | | re-freezing any type of meat will decrease the overall |
| using the cold water method. It is not recommended | | | | quality of the flavor. It is recommended that you use |
| that you thaw these meats using a microwave, as | | | | any frozen cooked meats within one month of the |
| parts of the meat may start to cook before other | | | | freeze date to avoid a severe decline in taste. |