Life only seems to speed up and never slow down. A lot of the time, that means we have to resort to a microwaved meal. Many of us rely on the microwave more than we may even realize. Heating up leftovers from dinner, and ready to eat foods has become common for many Americans. We did some research on how you can cook your food more safely, so you’re not consuming harmful bacteria. The FDA has these tips to help you when you’re using your microwave.
You should always distribute your food evenly on your plate or dish. Make sure that you cover with a lid or plastic wrap before placing it in the microwave. Loosen the lid or wrap to allow steam to escape, the moisture will help kill bacteria. Also, do not let the plastic wrap touch your food while microwaving.
If you find “cold spots” in your food…that means you need to cook it longer. Stirring and rotating midway through microwaving will help distribute the heat evenly to avoid this problem. This is vital to making sure the harmful bacteria is killed.
Heating your leftovers is something we commonly do. Make sure you heat them until it is steaming hot. This goes for your ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs, luncheon meats and fully cooked ham. You should always make sure leftovers are heated to the safe internal temperature of 165°F.
It is not recommended to cook whole, stuffed poultry in the microwave. The stuffing may not reach the temperature needed to kill bacteria. All poultry should reach a safe minimum temperature of 165°F.
Remove packaging from the food before you defrost it. Using trays made out of foam is especially dangerous. The heat will melt the foam, and may cause harmful chemicals to migrate into your food.
Cook food like poultry, egg casseroles, fish and cooked meat immediately after defrosting in the microwave.
Always allow standing time before you eat what you microwaved, it will complete the cooking of your food.
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