Appliance choice for cooking frozen stuffed chicken products is problematic, according to a new report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Frozen stuffed chicken products have been linked to Salmonella outbreaks in the past few years, including one in the summer of 2021, and given detailed cooking instructions on the package, these outbreaks are concerning. An internet panel was convened to find out how consumers are cooking these raw breaded stuffed chicken products, which are covered in browned breadcrumbs so they do appear to be fully cooked. More than one-half of these respondents said they used an appliance other than an oven to cook them. In fact, 29% said they used a microwave oven, even though labels warn against using that appliance. About 30% of … [Read more...]
Is It Safe to Partially Cook Meat and Poultry Ahead of Time?
Labor Day is the last big grilling holiday of the summer season. Most Americans love to grill, and cook out whether at home or in a park. Grilling food safety tips are important for every person to know. But there's one question that is not often answered: Is it safe to partially cook meat and poultry ahead of time? Most people love to be able to prepare many foods ahead of time when they are entertaining. Salads, desserts, and side dishes are all easy to prepare ahead. But what about meats? While you can cut meat into serving sizes and marinate meats for added flavor and tenderness, you should never partially cook meat or poultry ahead of time to finish later, according to the CDC. This is not widely known and this fact is not often included in FDA or USDA grilling tips. The … [Read more...]
Fully Popped Poppin’ Cobs Microwave Popcorn Recalled For Burn Hazard
Fully Popped Poppin' Cobs Microwave Popcorn is being recalled from the marketplace because the popcorn's brown paper bag can catch fire when the bag is put into the microwave oven. This poses a fire and burn hazard. The popcorn was sold exclusively at Uncommon Goods Stores in Brooklyn, New York from September 2019 through January 2020 for about $18. About 4,900 packages were recalled. The recalled product is Poppin' Cobs Microwave Popcorn that has 10 cobs per package. The popcorn is packaged in a brown box with a black top and label. Ten Poppin' Cobs are individually wrapped inside the package. There are also ten brown bags used for popping. Only boxes with the date code 042121 on the back of the box are included in this recall. There have been five reports of the brown paper bags … [Read more...]
It’s National Pizza Week: Are Pizzas Linked to Outbreaks?
It's National Pizza Week! Have pizzas been linked to any food poisoning outbreaks in the U.S.? The answer is yes. The ingredients in pizza that could be problematic include flour in the dough, cheeses, produce such as leafy greens, and any type of meat toppings. But since pizzas are usually cooked so thoroughly, how can people get sick? There are three answers to that question: handling the pizzas before they are cooked, cross-contamination, and microwave cooking. Raw dough is considered a risky food, since flour used to make it has long been associated with E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks, from the Nestle raw cookie dough outbreak in 2009, to the General Mills flour E. coli outbreak in 2016 that sickened 63, to the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to ADM Milling flour last year that … [Read more...]
Consumer Reports Finds Microwaves Heat Unevenly
Consumer Reports recently tested microwave ovens for even heating, and found that some models failed the test. One of the problems with cooking food in the microwave is that all microwave ovens have hot and cold spots. Food overheats in some areas and under heats in others. That's just the nature of the appliance. Consumer Reports found that some new microwave models cook food very unevenly. Some products, such as meatloaf and pot pies, aren't stirred during cooking, which exacerbates the uneven heating problem. The organization rates appliances on a scale of "Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor". No microwave received a "Poor" rating. The best and worst microwaves tested were: GE Profile JES2251SJSS. This oven received an "Excellent" rating in heating evenness. … [Read more...]
