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| Ground beef and other ground meats can be important foods for children to eat and are safe for your children when properly handled and cooked.
Ground beef is easy to chew, tasty, versatile, and is an excellent source of zinc, iron, protein, and B-vitamins that children need to grow and develop. There is no need to avoid ground meats if you follow the safe handling and cooking instructions outlined here -- |
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| Thermometers: The best way to make sure meat is cooked is by using a thermometer. An investment in a good quality, instant-read thermometer is encouraged. Follow directions from the manufacturer. Insert the thermometer about halfway into steaks and roasts, being careful not to touch bone. For hamburgers, insert it from the side of the patty until the tip is about in the middle.
Appearance: Ground beef patties should be cooked to medium (160 degrees) doneness. If a thermometer isn't available, check to be sure the centers are not pink and the juices show no pink color. Never eat raw or undercooked ground meat products. Broiled or Grilled: During broiling, grilling, or stove-top cooking, turn meats at least once to be sure they cook evenly all the way through. Oven Cooking: When cooking in the oven, set the temperature to 325 degrees or higher. Cross-Contamination: Avoid contaminating cooked meats with bacteria from raw meats by using clean plates for both and never reusing a plate that held meat until the plate has been cleaned in hot, soapy water. At picnics, bring along extra plates for this purpose. |
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| Selecting Meats: When shopping, choose meat packages that are cold and tightly wrapped. Check the "sell by" or "use by" date on the label. Do not purchase expired packages. The meat surface exposed to the air will be a cherry red color while the interior may be darker red. This is normal.
Protecting Your Purchase: Visit the meat and dairy cases just before going to the checkout line. Plan to go straight home after the store. Unpack meat immediately and place in the refrigerator or freezer. Use ground meat within three or four days after purchase. Meat should not be frozen for more than three or four months. Cooked meats can be stored in the freezer for two or three months. Defrosting: Never defrost meat on the countertop. Instead, defrost meat in the refrigerator or microwave. If you use the microwave to thaw meat, cook the meat immediately. Why Ground Meats are Different: Steaks and roasts do not need to be cooked to the same degree of doneness as ground beef. Bacteria, some of which can cause foodborne illness if present, would be found only on the outside surface of steaks and roasts. Because the grinding process distributes the surface meat throughout, ground meats like hamburger must be cooked to a higher degree of doneness. |
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| This project was funded by Beef Producers through their $1-per head checkoff and was produced for the Cattlemen's Beef Board and State Beef Councils by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Copyright 1998, National Cattlemen's Beef Association. |
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