Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, director of the Center for Food Safety in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, spoke with Self about recommended food safety practices.
While scrubbing raw chicken breast before dicing it may seem safe, Diez-Gonzalez warned against it. Chicken is a common source of salmonella. Splashing water on the surface of the chicken will “spread contamination around the sink and around the kitchen,” he said.
Due to the risk of contamination, it’s best to store raw meat away from other foods and ingredients. Raw meat should be kept on the bottom shelf of the fridge to prevent leaking juice from dripping onto other items. Diez-Gonzalez recommended using a Tupperware container to stop seepage in the first place.
“You want to minimize transferring those pathogens to food that normally don’t have those organisms,” he said. “Try to keep them separate as much as possible throughout the entire process.”
When cooking, Diez-Gonzalez highlighted the importance of ensuring that meats reach a certain temperature to be considered safe for consumption. Instead of eyeballing to determine temperature, use a food thermometer.
