By Helen Carter
University of Georgia
In University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across the state, that's the question agents are answering most often these days.
Recent media coverage of avian influenza, or bird flu, has consumers questioning the safety of poultry. To date, the guidelines for safely handling and cooking chicken haven't changed.
The World Health Organization still says that no epidemiological information suggests that anyone has been infected through eating well-cooked, contaminated poultry meat. WHO also says there's no evidence that products shipped from affected areas have been the source of infection in humans.
Proper cooking
Normal cooking to the recommended temperatures (170 degrees Fahrenheit for poultry pieces and 180 for whole birds) will inactivate the viruses if they're present. Other guidelines:
- Separate raw meat from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Don't use the same cutting board or knife for raw poultry and other foods.
- Don't handle raw and cooked foods without washing your hands thoroughly in between. Wash your hands, too, after handling frozen or thawed chicken or eggs. Wash your hands with warm, running water and soap for at least 20 seconds, rubbing them together and rinsing thoroughly.
- Don't put cooked meat back onto a plate or surface with raw meat juices.
- Don't use raw or soft-cooked eggs in food preparations that won't be heat-treated or cooked.
- Keep surfaces clean. Thoroughly wash surfaces, plates or utensils that have come into contact with raw meat.
- Use a thermometer. Again, cook poultry pieces to 170 and whole birds to 180. You can't tell by looks if the meat is properly done. It's important to use a meat thermometer.
(Helen Carter is the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension County Coordinator in Pike County, Ga.)
