Poultry's Shelf Life

Packaged poultry should be refrigerated and used within two days or stored in the freezer.

Latex or Plastic Gloves While Working with Raw Meat

If you work with a lot of raw meat and poultry with rubbing on marinades, consider using latex or plastic gloves, and remove them when it's time to wash your hands and dishes. This way you don't contaminate the sink handle(s) with the bacteria or raw meat and poultry every time you go to wash your hands. It may seem pricey at first to make unnecessary purchases, but it'll make cleaning easier. And isn't a healthy environment worth the extra cost? After all, do you really disinfect your sink every time you handle raw meat and poultry? If not, this is a measure worth taking.

E. Coli Culprits

Hamburger meat is more likely to have E. coli than steaks. So every time you're handling hamburger meat, use a thermometer on the thickest part of the patty. Cook until it reads 160 degrees F. For medium rare steaks, your thermometer should read 145 to 150 degrees F. For medium steaks, 155 to 160 degrees F. For medium-well, 165 degrees F. For well done, it should be 170 to 180 degrees F.