Cook and Serve Meat Safely

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Cooking & Serving Meats Safely

Center-of-the-plate menu items are your most expensive food cost item. They are also easy to mishandle -- resulting in an expensive (and unsatisfactory) mistake. Review these guidelines on selecting, preparing and serving meats.

Purchasing Beef

Fresh beef (not vacuum-packed) is bright cherry red and will be firm and elastic to the touch. Vacuum-packaged beef will be dark red, even slightly purplish.

• Make sure the beef arrives sealed. If the seal is broken, reject the meat.
• Vacuum-packaged beef may have an unusual odor because of no oxygen. The odor will disappear in 15-30 minutes after opening.

Storing Beef

• Beef should be stored between 28 degrees and 32 degrees F.
• Beef will absorb odors.
• Unopened vacuum-packaged meat has a 21-day storage life in the refrigerator. Once open the storage life is 2-3 days.
• Frozen beef may be stored for six months at zero degrees F.
• Thaw beef in the refrigerator for 15-24 hours before using.

Tips for Handling Ground Beef

• Use ground beef within two days of receipt or freeze for up to four months.
• Do not over-mix ground beef. The texture will become firm and compact.

After Cooking

• Allow the meat to "rest" for 20-30 minutes.
• If serving immediately, slice the meat. Hold at or above 140 degrees F.

Food Safety Tips for Properly Handling Meat

Eliminate the possibility of cross-contamination.

• Store raw meat below ready-to-eat and cooked foods.
• Use separate cutting boards for meat, fish, poultry and cooked products.
• Wash, rinse and sanitize cutting boards, knives and other utensils in between uses.
• Practice good personal hygiene, especially hand washing, at all times.