Handling Meat and Poultry Products (Part 2)

In our previous blog post, we discussed tips on purchasing meat and poultry products and how to store them. We also touched briefly on the subject of preparing them which we’ll be continuing with in this post before finishing off with pointers on the cooking and chilling of the meat and poultry products.

Preparation Continued…

• Be sure to wash all counters, cutting surfaces and utensils used in the preparation of poultry and meat with soapy hot water. It is a good idea to use different cutting boards for different kinds of meat.
• Thorougly wash your hands with soapy hot water before and after handling fresh foods and meats.
• During preparation, or once refrigerated, always remember that meat and poultry should be kept away from your other food.
• Ensure that your cooked food does not come into contact with the tray or board that was used to hold the raw poultry or meat products.

Cooking Meat and Poultry Products

• All poultry and meat products should be cooked at the right internal temperature to get rid of harmful bacteria.
• To ensure that they are cooked at the correct temperature, use a thermometer.
• When grilling, use different plates for cooked and fresh products.
• When using a slow cooker, you don’t need to worry about safe temperatures, provided that the cooker is functioning properly. The process of slow-cooking is very safe because the steam, prolonged cooking time and the heat produced by the crock pot all work hand in hand to eliminate any bacteria.
• If you want to cook your meat without prior defrosting, it’s best you consider grilling, cooking on a stove or in an oven. Understand, however, that it will take 50% longer to cook. It is not advised to cook frozen poultry or meat in a slow cooker.

Chilling

• Once the meal is over, put your leftovers in a container that can be covered and store it in the refrigerator. Chilling the leftovers prevents the growth of harmful bacteria.
• Use a shallow container in order to speed up chilling. If you have large quantities of leftovers, divide them into smaller portions.
• Ensure that your freezer or refrigerator is not too tightly packed. Allowing proper air flow can help maintain the correct temperatures needed in each compartment.
• If you’re in doubt about any of your poultry or meat products, throw them out. This is a good principle to keep in mind when evaluating whether your leftovers are safe to eat or not. In general, poultry and meat leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, and up to 4 months if they are kept frozen.

How we deal with our meat and poultry is very important. Not only do we want it to taste great, but we also want to steer clear of any food-related health issues. Making sure we’re getting it from the best source possible is crucial too. So, if you’re looking for quality meat and poultry products, make sure to order from Puri Pangan Utama—a reputable food supplier in Bali, Indonesia.

For a complete list of our meat and poultry products, please click here.