STORE POULTRY AND GAME BIRD

Techniques in Storing Poultry

•Poultry may be frozen whole, in halves, cut into pieces, or parts after they are dressed. Parts can be packed separately, ready to cook, or for easy meal preparation and thawing.

Handling and Storage of Poultry

Poultry spoils very quickly unless it is properly handled and stored. After being brought home from the market, it should be unwrapped as quickly as possible and wiped off with a damp cloth. Then it should be lightly covered with waxed paper, placed in shallow utensils and stored in a cold part of the refrigerator near the freezing unit or ice. Cooked poultry should be cooled as quickly as possible, covered to prevent drying and refrigerated. Removing the bones saves space. Frozen poultry must be kept in the freezing unit until it is thawed for cooking.

Freezing and Thawing Poultry

To prepare poultry properly for freezing, it should be wrapped tightly in a moisture-vapor proof film, foil or paper and then frozen at -170oC (0oF) or lower. Although there are no abrupt changes in quality during the first few months of poultry storage, it has always been a good practice to use these chickens first which have been in storage longest and those with torn wrapper.

Storage Time for Poultry and Game

Safety Practices in Handling and Storing Poultry and Game Products

•How to Handle Chicken Safely Raw chicken and poultry can carry the salmonella bacteria, which is responsible for more cases of food poisoning than any other pathogen. Fortunately, it's easy to avoid getting sick from chicken and poultry, as long as you follow safe food handling practices.

Safe Shopping for Chicken and Poultry

During distribution to retail stores, fresh chicken is kept cold in order to extend its shelf life as well as to prevent bacteria growth. Packages of chicken should feel cold to the touch, and should be among the last items you select before checking out. Packages of chicken should be wrapped in plastic bags to prevent leakage onto other items in your grocery cart.Once you're home, you should immediately place your chicken in a refrigerator that maintains a temperature of 40°F or colder, and use it within 2 days. Otherwise, it should be frozen at 0°F

Safe Handling of Chicken and Poultry

Just like meat, fish or any animal-based food product, raw or undercooked chicken carry certain bacteria. These bacteria can cause illness in large numbers. Therefore, to avoid illness we need to limit bacteria's ability to multiply, or kill them altogether. Limiting their ability to multiply requires making sure that food products are not left at room temperatures — or specifically, temperatures between 40°F and 140°F — for more than an hour. And remember, freezing doesn't kill bacteria, either — it just makes them cold. The only way to kill food-borne pathogens is by thoroughly cooking the food. Another concern with respect to working with uncooked poultry is cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can happen when raw poultry — or even just its juices — somehow come into contact with any other food products but especially ones that are already cooked or ones that will be eaten raw, such as salad vegetables or greens.

Fresh vs. Frozen Chicken and Poultry

If the label on a raw poultry product bears the term "fresh," that indicates that it has never been colder than 26°F. Poultry that has at any time been kept at 0°F or colder must have a label indicating that it is "frozen" or "previously frozen," whatever the case may be. Interestingly, poultry that has been kept at temperatures colder than 26°F but warmer than 0°F can be labeled neither fresh nor frozen.

Chicken and Poultry Product Dating

Federal regulations don't require poultry products to be dated. However, most retailers will date the chicken products that they sell. If they do opt to date the product, regulations do require that there be a phrase signifying whether the date is a "sell by" date or a "use before" date, and the explanation must appear right next to the date.

Basics for Handling Food SafelyShoppingStoragePreparationThawingCookingServingLeftoversRefreezing

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow the four Fight BAC! ™ guidelines to keep food safe: Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often. Separate — Don't cross-contaminate. Cook — Cook to proper temperatures. Chill — Refrigerate promptly.

Shopping

Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your nonperishables. Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking. Do not buy food without expiration dates

Storage

Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F). Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below. Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days. Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.

To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer. In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months. Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years — if the can remains in good condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted.

Preparation

Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water. Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Thawing

Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food. Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing. Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing

Cooking

Cook all raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

Serving

Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer. Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder. When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace them often. Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).

Left overs

Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 90 °F). Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling. Use cooked leftovers within 4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165 °F.

Refreezing

Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.