We have been having a lot of fun and education over on our Facebook page.  Our series on the #4keys to #foodsafety is moving along and we are now talking cleaning and sanitizing.  Our Facebook contests have expanded to Twitter and the weekly prizes keep getting better and better.  THEN….

We are watching the news and they are talking about the Salmonella Recall for Chicken from Foster Farms.  They show a person washing chicken under a steady stream of running water then placing it in baking dish that is 2-3 feet away…the chicken dripping all over the counter and possibly the floor.  There was no mention of cooking the chicken to 165 using a food thermometer for checking temperature.

First off, please do not wash chicken. You take the risk of spreading any bacteria that is present to other surfaces in your kitchen.  If you open package and smell an odor return it.  Fresh chicken should not smell.  Second, get a food grade stemmed thermometer and make sure that your chicken is cooked to 165 degrees.  Salmonella will be killed at this temperature.  Third practice your #4keys, clean and sanitize all surfaces that could have come in contact with the raw chicken juices and wash hands before and after handling raw poultry.

Be food safe!!

Now back to the fun…check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MarylandFoodHandler for our most recent contest…