Here are 4 food safety rules from a program called Fight BAC!™ from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

1. Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often. Use soap and water to clean. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils after preparing each food item and before going on to the next item. Use paper towels for quick, disposable clean up.
2. Separate: Don't cross-contaminate. Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods while you are grocery shopping and in your refrigerator. Use one cutting board for raw meat and poultry and a separate one for other food. Never put cooked food on a plate that has held raw meat or poultry unless the plate has been cleaned.
3. Cook: Cook to proper temperatures. Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145°F, whole poultry to 180°F in the thigh and ground beef to 160°F. Reheat leftovers to 165°F; sauces, soup and gravy should be brought to a rolling boil. Eggs are safe to use in food such as homemade eggnog or Caesar salad as long as egg mixtures are cooked to 160°F.
4. Chill: Refrigerate promptly. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours. Place leftovers into shallow containers for rapid cooling. Keep hot foods hot, 140°F or above and cold foods cold, 40°F or below. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold water bath or in the microwave. Marinate foods in the refrigerator.

This is general information only and should not replace advice or instructions given to you by your physician.

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