Smaller Pieces For Safe Cooking
Smaller Pieces For Safe Cooking
A lot of people love cooking, but do you know that big pieces of food are more in danger of cultivating bacteria before heating up. Norene Larson, supervisor of Atco Blue Flame Kitchen and a professional home economist suggests that when cooking using a crock pot, cut portions of whole chickens or big roasts into smaller pieces before putting them in the slow cooker. According to Larson, “Large pieces remain in the bacteria danger zone for too long before they heat up. It can make you ill without any indication.” She also warns that bacteria can increase to dangerous levels without any apparent indications or signs such as a bad odor or foaming.
A survey was done by Anzinger from a number of credible sources such as crock-pot.ca that make no mention of cutting big pieces of food into smaller portions. Other sources however, such as the University of Minnessota’s Department of Food Safety Education and Research, recommend cutting food into smaller portions for extra safety. With this information, Larson suggests cooks who have concerns regarding food safety to follow the instructions of the University of Minnesota. Cooks should also review the instruction manual of their slow cooker, which include suggestions for refraining from lifting the lid while cooking and taking an initial measurement of the roast after it’s done.
Slow cookers are safe if they are correctly used, and cooks should always use a larger crock pot for larger cuts of meat. It would also be ideal to brown meat before putting it in the slow cooker as it starts the cooking process and helps to cook the meat more evenly. Frozen meat on the other hand should always be thawed and should never be put directly into the slow cooker. The University of Minnesota recommends that food put in a slow cooker should reach 140 F (60 C) or higher within four hours.
The following test is recommended to make sure that your slow cooker is heating properly. This includes dutch oven cooking which may not be included in your dutch oven information manual: 1.) Fill the slow cooker with up to half or more of water. 2.) Heat it on low for 8 hours. 3.) Check the temperature of the water with a reliable food thermometer. 4.) The temperature should be at least 185 F (90 C). Any temperature lower can mean that your slow cooker does not heat food fast or high enough to avoid food safety problems.
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Posted in: Cooking Chicken |
