|
|
||
Get creative as you celebrate the hamburger's 100th birthday. Yeah, the meat is safe to eat. Date published: 6/23/2004 By LUCIA ANDERSON Summer's here, and all over the land grills are emerging from sheds and garages. They'll be used to cook a variety of foods, but most backyard grilling involves some sort of meat. That's even more true these days, with so many folks following low-carb diets. And hamburgers, America's No. 1 favorite on the grill, celebrate their [probable] 100th birthday this year. But, wait. It was only six months ago that stories of mad cow disease being discovered in the United States hit the news. And remember the e. coli outbreak from chain-store hamburgers? Maybe you better stick to tofu-burgers after all. Not so, said Kevin Hade, vice president for sales and marketing at Ukrop's. He pointed to the Ukrop's Own Beef program, begun nearly a decade ago, that holds ranchers and processors to higher standards than those required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "We can trace a piece of meat from the time the animal is born until it's in the package," Hade said. "We know how it's been handled." The government has been issuing reams of reports since January, assuring consumers that even greater care is being taken to ensure a safe meat supply. Janet Tenney, a dietitian with the consumer affairs office of Giant Food, said her company takes every precaution to find reputable suppliers and meets rigorous sanitation and refrigeration standards in its stores. She said consumers are more likely to fall ill because the meat was mishandled after it left the store. She invoked the mantra--clean, separate, chill, cook--as posted on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site. Simply stated, this means hands and utensils need to be washed in hot, soapy water, raw meat and poultry need to be kept separate from ready-to-eat items, food needs to be cooked to the proper temperature (use a thermometer) and perishables should be stored in the refrigerator. As far as hamburgers are concerned, Tenney recommended using a T-stick thermometer. The T-stick is a disposable, one-time-use thermometer that is set for 160 degrees, the temperature at which e. coli bacteria expire. For more hints on hamburgers, the cooking and safety of, see the Virginia Beef Industry Council's Ground Beef Basics .
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
|
|
|||||||||||||
