Chicken Farmers of Canada
Bacteria are everywhere. While most are harmless to humans and some are beneficial, others can make you sick. All foods, including meat, fruit and vegetables, have the potential to cause foodborne illness.
Did you know that two out of three homes in North America put their families at risk by not exercising good food safety practices at home? Did you also know that over 80% of all cases of foodborne illness can be prevented if the food is handled properly?
The best way to avoid foodborne illness is by using a food thermometer. It’s the best way to know when your chicken is cooked. They’re not expensive, and you can pick them up at most supermarkets. All food – meat and vegetables included, can contain harmful bacteria. To properly kill these bacteria, food must be cooked at a certain length of time at a high enough temperature.
To ensure that your chicken is cooked through, insert the thermometer in the inner thigh area near the breast, but avoid hitting the bone (because the bone will heat up before the meat does, giving you an inaccurate reading). With chicken breasts, thighs and other cuts, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. If it won’t go in, try it sideways.
To make sure it’s cooked evenly, insert the thermometer in different spots. You can use these thermometers on other foods too, like meat, egg dishes and casseroles, every time you cook. If you’re not sure about cooking times and temperatures, read more at CFC’s cooking guidelines.
It’s important to keep your thermometer calibrated and it’s easy to check. Fill a large glass of crushed ice, add clean water to cover the ice and stir well. Immerse the thermometer stem in about 2 inches. After 30 seconds the thermometer should read 0 or 32 degrees F. If you’re not sure how to calibrate your thermometer, check the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you love kitchen gadgets, there are a number of wireless food thermometers available that typically sell for about $50. There are even infrared food thermometers that will set you back about $70. They’re expensive, but by far the easiest, since you just have to point and shoot – ideal for the barbecue. EDIT: Infrared thermometers are more suited to testing the temperature of dishes like soup or stew as they only read the surface temperature. If you’re looking to buy one for all foods, ensure that you buy an infrared thermometer with a probe for the meat, though, to determine the correct internal temperature of the foods you’re cooking.
An interesting phenomenon when it comes to chicken: Many consumers will way overcook their chicken in order to ensure that they avoid problems. The problem with that is that many consumers are thereby losing a terrific opportunity to enjoy moist, delicious chicken! I remember when I started working here, I began using a food thermometer to check my chicken. Before, I’d been cooking it until everything was cooked all the way through. Well, it turns out that I had been cooking my chicken for FAR too long, in an effort to be safe. Turns out, it was overkill.
The moral of that tale is that I learned to cook my chicken properly and now I realize that I can have tender chicken in any recipe – and not the dried out chicken I’d gotten used to.
A food thermometer is a good investment and is something you should get into the habit of using all the time. The biggest bonus is that you’ll ensure that the food you’re serving is safe, but not overcooked. It will bring peace of mind, and even better flavour when you sit down to a meal with your family.
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