Tips for food safety for college students

Students watch a lot of difficulties while studying for a college education, and often eat, when and where practical. But when it comes to safe food preparation is to know many college kids simply do not know what it means to make the grade in the area of ​​food safety requirements, and too many could end up with food poisoning.
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline receives many calls from parents or students with questions about the handling and storage of food for college kids. Here is a selection of questionshow to cook and prepare food safely removed during the school.
D. a few slices of pizza were all night. Is the pizza still safe to eat?
A: Yes perishable food should never be left in the cold for more than two hours. This is true even if there are no meat products on the pizza. Foodborne disease bacteria that may be present in these foods grow fastest at temperatures between 40 and 140 ° C and can be doubled in number every 20 minutes.
Other take-out or delivered food, assuch as chicken, hamburgers, cut fruit, salads and party, and must be kept at a safe temperature. The rule is to "keep hot foods hot and cold food cold!" To ensure the food hot, keep it at 140 ° F or higher. Cold dishes should be 40 ° C or less (in the refrigerator or freezer) hold. Bacteria grow rapidly 40-140 ° C. Discard all perishable foods at room temperature for more than 2 hours left for 1 hour in air temperatures above 90 ° F. Use safely refrigerated food in 3 or 4 days;remains frozen, 1 to 2 months.
D. I live off campus this year. Both my roommate and I are preparing their own meals. What we need to know to cook food safely?
A. The use of frozen meat to defrost in the refrigerator - not on the counter. Do not allow raw meat or poultry juices drip on other foods. Wash your hands before and after preparing food. Always use clean paper towels. Wash cutting boards and utensils used in hot water and soap.
Allows you to control a food thermometerInternal temperatures. Cook poultry meat at temperatures of minimum internal security of the following:
* Beef, veal, lamb steaks, roasts, chops and can be heated to 145 ° F,
* All cuts of pork, 160 ° C.
* Ground beef, veal and lamb to 160 ° C.
* All poultry should be safe minimum internal temperature of 165 ° F.
When the food was not handled in a safe feel, throw it out.
D. I have not got a car on campus, so I use the bus to get my purchases. If the foodsafe for the moment I realized in my apartment?
A. If you are using public transport or car, it is important that you buy perishables within 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees F) are cooled. First, when buying food, avoid cross-contamination by storing raw meat, poultry and seafood in plastic bags and place them separately from other foods in the supermarket shopping cart. Take the recent cold food items in your cart. Once your purchases are packed in bagsreturn home immediately.
If you are not home within the recommended time, please take a cooler with frozen gel packs to keep perishable foods safe in transit. If you do not intend perishable raw meat you are using now, frozen poultry or fish within 2 days, beef, pork, veal or lamb steaks, roasts or chops within 3 to 5 days.
D. Our dorm has a kitchen with microwave oven on each floor. When I microwave the food according to the instructions on the package, it is stillpartially frozen. Why do not hot enough?
A. In a large building like a dorm, electrical equipment such as computers, toaster ovens, hair dryers and irons compete for current and reduce the power supply of the microwave. A community oven just before cooking used for more than a cold oven. To compensate, set the microwave for the maximum time in the instructions. Avoid using an extension cord with the microwave because power is reduced because it runs along theCord. In addition, the cable may not
grounded.
Cover food during cooking. Remember to stir or rearrange food and rotate dish. Allow time to rest. The food is to cook at this time. Finally, use a food thermometer to ensure food reaches the safe internal temperature of 165 ° C. If food has not reached that temperature is hot, add more cooking time.
Q: What are safe food containers microwave safe?
A. plastic containers, such as coldsuch as margarine tubs, take-away containers, mounted topping bowls and other disposable containers should not be used in the microwave. These containers can warp or melt, which can go to harmful chemicals in food.
Microwave plastic wraps, wax paper, cooking bags, parchment paper and white microwave paper towels should be safe to use. Do not let the wrap touch foods during microwave plastic. Never use thin plastic storage bags, brown paper or plastic bags,Newspapers or aluminum foil in the microwave.
Q: How do you thaw frozen foods safely in the microwave?
A. Remove food from packaging before defrosting. Do not use foam trays and plastic wraps because they do not heat stable at high temperatures. can melt or warp pass harmful chemicals in food. Cook meat, poultry, egg casseroles, and fish immediately after defrosting in the microwave oven because some areas may begin from the food during cookingDefrosting time. Do not hold partially cooked food to cook at a later date.
D. Some of us are planning a tailgate party in the stadium. How can we handle the food is safe?
A. keep food safe to prevent from home, a store or restaurant, food poisoning stadium. If bringing hot take-away meals, they eat within 2 hours of purchase. For foods such as soup, chili, stews and hot, use an insulated container. Fill the container with boiling water, let stand a few minutes, empty, and thenput the food warm. Keep container closed and isolated the food should stay warm (140 ° C or more) for several hours. Or plan ahead and fresh food in your refrigerator before packing for your tailgate.
Carry cold perishable food like raw hamburger, sausage and chicken in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, frozen gel packs or containers of frozen water. Perishable cooked food such as lunch meat, cooked meat, chicken and potatoes or noodlesSalads must be kept cold fridge, too. Tuck an appliance thermometer in the cooler to ensure the food stays at 40 ° C or lower. When packing the cooler for an outing, some raw meat and poultry are safe, their juices are cross-contamination of ready to eat to avoid injuries.
In addition to a grid of packaging and fuel for cooking, a food thermometer to be sure that meat, poultry, and casseroles reach a high enough temperature to destroy harmful bacteria that may be present.Include lots of clean utensils, not only for eating but also for serving the safely cooked food.
Bring water for cleaning, if not available on site. Pack clean, wet cloths or disposable wipes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.
Question: How long does food stay safe in a tailgate party?
R. It 'important to keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 ° C and 140 ° C. Let the food in the "danger zone" more than 2 hours(1 hour if the outside temperature is above 90 degrees F). Cook meat and poultry thoroughly. Partial cooking of food ahead of time allows bacteria to the point that subsequent cooking can not destroy you play.
Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often brown very fast on the outside. Use a thermometer to check internal temperature of food. Cook poultry meat at temperatures of minimum internal security of the following:
* Beef, veal, lamb steaks, roasts, chops and can be heated to 145,° F.
* All cuts of pork, 160 ° C.
* Ground beef, veal and lamb to 160 ° C.
* All poultry should be safe minimum internal temperature of 165 ° F.

Q. are leftovers from a tailgate to eat afterwards?
A. Some people have so much fun at tailgate gatherings, they never actually do it at the stadium to watch the game of football. But that does not mean that it is protected for food to stay while not cooled, and certainly after the game. Store perishable food inCooler except for short periods when needed. Boil only the amount of food he eats the challenge will be to avoid waste food to a safe temperature.
Dispose of all residues that are not ice cold after the game. Food should not be left out of the cooler or on the grill more than 2 hours (1 hour if the outside temperature exceeds 90 ° F). Holding food at an unsafe temperature is a major cause of food poisoning.
D. I do not have time to go into the dining room for lunch. How canI have to pack a lunch to eat between
Classes?
A. Insulated, soft-sided lunch boxes or bags are best for keeping perishable food cold, but lunch boxes made of metal or plastic and paper bags can also be used. create using paper lunch bags with a double layer of bagging to insulate the food. A source of ice, as a small frozen gel pack or frozen juice box, should be of perishable food products in any type of lunch box or packaged. Of course, if there is a refrigerator available, store perishableTerms of there arrival.
It 'important to keep perishable foods cold. harmful bacteria multiply rapidly in the "Danger Zone" - will be transported at temperatures between 40 and 140 ° C. Then, perishable foods without any source of ice is not safe to stay for long. Pre-packaged combos that contain the ground along with crackers, cheese and spices should be stored in the refrigerator. This includes lunch meat and smoked ham which are cured or contain preservatives. For more information, see "Keeping 'Bag'Packed Lunches Safe "on http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/
Keeping_Bag_Lunches_Safe /
D. I frequently send "care packages" with my son at college. What other foods besides cookies, crackers, cakes, and I can e-mail?
A. college kids away from home is always nice to receive their favorite products homemade biscuits and sweet breads such as banana bread, carrots, apples or sour cream cake, even if the ship wrapped in aluminum foil and packed in a box or heavy cardboard.
Durable,microwavable appetizers are another option. These foods are not refrigerated or frozen and will stay fresh without refrigeration for about 18 months. Canned meat and fish and dried meat and poultry such as beef jerky, and Turkey, are safe mail. The bacteria can not grow in foods preserved by removing moisture.
If mailing to the packaging of perishable food products with a cold source, such as frozen gel packs or dry ice, and shipped with overnight delivery. Perishable items can not be used at temperatures between40 and 140 ° F for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees F). Pathogenic bacteria can grow rapidly at these temperatures, but generally does not affect the taste, smell, appearance, or food. Thus, when food was wrong, or is not safe to eat, the student will not be able to say that it is dangerous. For more information, see the FSIS publication "Mail Order Food Safety" on www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/
Mail_Order_Food_Safety
D. my daughter's college is only afour hours away, so she comes home often. How can food properly packaged to take home to their cooked in the school?
R. For a four-hour drive, food must be properly managed to ensure safe from spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. cooked food should be divided into shallow containers and cooled in the refrigerator before you travel. For the transport of food, placed in a cooler insulated with several inches of ice, frozen gel packs or containers of frozen water packed. Add the coldThe containers of food from the refrigerator when you are ready to go. The freezing of food before the return trip also helps with food. Tell your daughter, your food cool down so quickly when it comes to college.
D. My Math Club is having a potluck. What is important to remember food safety?
R. If you serve food, clean containers and equipment for storing and serving food. Do not use a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, fish, or when the dish was firstwashed in hot water and soap. If a dish is empty or nearly empty, replace with fresh container of food, removing the previous container.
Place cold food in containers on ice. Keep cold foods at or below 40 ° C. Food, portioned and served should be used on the line are contained in a shallow container. Place these containers in a deep pan filled partially with ice to keep food cold. Food like chicken salad and desserts in individual bowls can be placed directly on ice,or placed in a shallow container in a deep pan with ice. drain off water as ice melts and replace ice frequently.
Keep hot foods hot by using a heat source. Once food is thoroughly heated on the stove, oven or microwave and then in the hot steam tables, chafing dishes, warming trays and / or slow cookers. Check the temperature frequently to make sure the food stays at or above 140 ° F.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service helps consumers to safely plan and serve meals for groupsMeetings. Single copies of a 40-page color "Cooking for groups: a volunteer guide for food safety" are available from the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
D. My friends and I are going camping over Spring Break. How can we ensure food together?
R. If you are traveling with cold foods, bring a cooler with a cold source. When cooking, use a warm fire or a heater. It 'hard to keep food hot without a heat sourceTravel, so it's best for food first and take home, refrigerate or freeze the food during the night and cook cold.
If you do not want to heat sink or a heater, consider the stored food. Advances in food technology have relatively light brackets, which produces no refrigeration or careful packing. These include dry foods, beef jerky and other dried meats, dried pasta and soup, peanut butter in plastic jars, canned ham, chicken, beef andTuna, boxes of juice concentrates, dried fruit and nuts, and powdered milk and fruit drinks.
Do not drink water from a lake or river, no matter how clean it appears. Bring to drink bottled or tap water.
Q: What are the important things to remember about food safety?
! A. USDA 's Meat and Poultry Hotline in connection with the Partnership for Food Safety Education Fight BAC ® campaign, advises all consumers to consider these four basic tips for cooking and food preparation:
* Clean. Wash hands and surfaces often.
* Separate. Separate raw meat products, poultry and eggs cooked foods to avoid cross contamination.
* Cook. Raw meat, poultry and egg products must be completely cooked. Use a food thermometer to ensure food reach a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria that may be present.
* Chill. Refrigerate immediately.

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