Andrew Reece
Andrew is originally from Sedalia, Mo. but has lived in Kansas for the past 8 years. He has a BS in Food Science and is starting graduate school in the fall of 2007 at Kansas State University. He will be focusing on food safety. You can contact Andrew at defjaw@ksu.edu.Q.What food do you associate with barfing?A. Chilled shrimp. I love seafood, but once at a former employers Christmas party I ate a plate full of shrimp cocktails. The next day I threw up all day long, definitely my worst food poisoning
Doug Powell appears on National Public Radio
Yesterday Doug appeared on NPR Science Friday. The topic was the recent outbreak of Salmonella that has now officially sickened 228 persons in 23 states.
A podcast of the episode is now available online, and can be heard at this location.
How to properly cook hamburgers
The best way to make a hamburger is debatable. In my opinion adding Swiss cheese, pickles, onions, and mustard to a burger nearly perfects it. The one other ingredient? Temperature.
Cooking burgers to 160°F is the only sure way to tell that it is fully cooked. Cooking hamburgers to 160°F kills unwanted microorganisms such as E. coli O157:H7, a deadly ingredient. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 61 deaths a year from E. coli, and thousands more ill. Ground beef was recalled 19 different times in 2007 for E. coli contamination.
E. coli O157:H7 loves hiding in the intestines of animals, such as cows. During slaughter, if workers do not follow safe practices it can get onto the cuts of meat. Steaks can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness because any potential for microorganisms exists only on the surface. However, with ground beef the muscle is mixed up and the organisms are spread throughout the meat.
When cooking, don’t rely on the burger’s appearance to tell if it is done. Many people think a burger that is no longer pink is a done burger. This is not the case as pointed out in many studies (here, here, and here). Sometimes burgers look done well before they hit 160°F.
To measure the temperature of a burger, go out and buy a tip sensitive digital thermometer. Remove the burger from the grill or stove and insert the thermometer into the side of the meat all the way to the center. Wait until the thermometer reads 160°F before serving. Add the toppings of your choice, and enjoy!
References
Hunt, M.C., O. Sørheim, E. Slinde. Color and Heat Denaturation of Myoglobin Forms in Ground Beef. Journal of Food Science Volume 64 Issue 5 Page 847-851, September 1999.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1999.tb15925.x?prevSearch=authorsfield%3A%28M.C.+Hunt%29
Ryan, Suzanne M., Mark Seyfert, Melvin C. Hunt, Richard A. Mancini. Influence of Cooking Rate, Endpoint Temperature, Post-cook Hold Time, and Myoglobin Redox State on Internal Color Development of Cooked Ground Beef Patties. Journal of Food Science. Volume 71 Issue 3 Page C216-C221, April 2006
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.tb15620.x?prevSearch=authorsfield%3A%28M.C.+Hunt%29
Seyfert, M., R.A. Mancini, M.C. Hunt. Internal Premature Browning in Cooked Ground Beef Patties from High-Oxygen Modified-Atmosphere Packaging. Journal of Food Science. Volume 69 Issue 9 Page C721-C725, December 2004
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.tb09923.x?prevSearch=authorsfield%3A%28M.C.+Hunt%29
Safe Food Cafe - Handwashing in the produce industry
This handwashing and good hygiene video is a few years old. It was produced by one time ifsn-ers Christian and Katija. It is intended for workers in the produce industry, but the handwashing techniques can be applied to anyone that handles food.
Safe Food Cafe - Tailgating Tips
This video comes from November when the iFSN checked out the food practices performed at a K-State tailgate. Our team didn't win, but it was great to discuss food safety topics with serious grillers and sometimes, serious drinkers.
Best wishes to the University of Kansas -- not Kansas State -- which is playing in the Orange Bowl tonight in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, against Virginia Tech. It was a magical season for the Kansas Jayhawks until they met that other Big 12 powerhouse, Missouri.
And for you crazy, KU kids frolicking in the Florida sun, use a digital, tip-sensitive thermometer when sticking it in. Always.
Safe Food Café - Petting zoos and their risk
The International Food Safety Network’s Safe Food Café campaign has returned with a new video aimed at petting zoos. E. coli outbreaks have been linked to petting zoos in recent years that have resulted in hundreds ill. This has resulted in safety measures being stepped up around the animals. Make sure to stay tuned to The Safe Food Café on YouTube for more reports.
Food Safety on film
The International Food Safety Network can now be found on YouTube! We’ve posted our first video, which covers the recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with pepperoni on frozen pizzas. More videos should show up soon, so make sure to subscribe to us on the right side of the video.
Mouthwatering burger
Jeffrey Steingarten and Vogue magazine is offering up tips to make the perfect tasting burger. Some of the advice sounds helpful, but I question if all of it is safe.
Here are a few excerpts:
“Grind or Else: Steingarten concludes you must either grind your own meat or have a trusted butcher grind it for you, for reasons of taste and safety (or, perish the thought, be sentenced to a life of consuming well-done burgers).”
While fresh ground beef may have taste benefits, I am not too sure what beef straight from the butcher has to do with safety. In fact, a local butcher in Wales was recently jailed for selling beef contaminated with E. coli. Local does not equate to safe; food can only be as safe as the people that handle and produce it.
“He explains in painstaking detail all of the ways supermarket ground beef can be contaminated. His solution, if you have any questions about the chopped meat you've just bought: "Drop the meat into a pot of boiling water for a minute, fish it out, and pat it dry….”
Again, I am not sure how this makes your meat safer. If you drop a clump of ground beef into boiling water, it may kill of any microorganisms on the surface, but no such luck for anything lurking inside. Meat is not done when temperatures around the meat are above 160 degrees Fahrenheit; it is done when the meat itself is 160 degrees.
“…if you flip a burger or a steak every fifteen to 30 seconds, the outside surface will get nicely browned while the inside stays relatively cool.”
It is a good idea to frequently flip to avoid a crispy burger, but what is the purpose of keeping the inside ‘relatively cool’? Studies have shown ground beef is fully cooked only when the center of the patty is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the inside ‘relatively cool’ (assuming Mr. Steingarten means less than 160) is only increasing the risk of food borne illness. In fact, temperature is not mentioned anywhere in the article.
Here is my recipe for a perfect tasting burger:
1. Mix in some Chipotle Tabasco sauce with the meat.
2. Use a sprinkle of seasoning salt right before cooking the burger.
3. Flip the burger regularly.
4. Top with Pepper Jack cheese.
5. Cook burgers to 160 degrees, and use a tip sensitive meat thermometer.
Once step five is complete, then you have a mouthwatering burger.
New International Food Safety Network Podcast -- Week of 10/26/07
This week in the podcast we look at:
- Hepatitis A in Calgary
- More beef recalls
- Salmonella in Georgia
New International Food Safety Network Podcast -- Week of 10/19/07
This week in the podcast we highlight:
- Salmonella - Minnesota
- Recent lawsuits relating to recent recalls and outbreaks
- Handwashing
New International Food Safety Network Podcast -- Week of 10/12/07
This week in the podcast we highlight:
- Pot pie - Salmonella recall
- Listeria - Chicken recall
- Fighting food borne illness
- Salmonella and lettuce
iFSN podcast 10.12.07
