Food Safety

Your health and safety is our priority

At Coborn’s your health and safety is our priority. We go above and beyond to make sure our products are safe, healthy and handled with the utmost care. For more information about food safety and food handling tips take a look at categories below.

Food Handling Tips

Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the food we offer and satisfaction of our customers! To keep food safety a priority in your home, always remember these 4 basic food handling tips.

Clean

Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get on hands, cutting boards, knives and countertops. Frequent cleaning can keep that from happening.

Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.
Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.
Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten.
Rub firm-skin fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrub with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing with tap water.

Separate

Cross-contamination is how bacteria spreads. Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.

Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separte one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags and in your refrigerator.
Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.

Cook

Even for experienced cooks, the improper heating and preparation of food means bacteria can survive.

Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods, Make sure that meat, poultry, egg dishes, casseroles and other foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature. (See temperature chart section.)
Cook ground meat or ground poultry until it reaches a safe internal temperature. Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness.
Cook eggs until the yolk and the white are firm. Only use recipes in which eggs are cooked or heated thoroughly.
Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating.

Chill

Bacteria spreads fastest at temperatures between 40F and 140F, so chilling food properly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

Chill leftovers and takeout foods within 2 hours. Keep the refrigerator at 40F or below and use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature.
Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the store.
Never defrost food at room temperature. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water (changing out water every 30 minutes), and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.

Source: Be Food Safe

Temperature Chart

Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the food we offer and satisfaction of our customers!

Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures

Use this chart and a food thermometer to ensure that meat, poultry, seafood, and other cooked foods reach a safe minimum internal temperature.

Remember, you can’t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at it. Any cooked, uncured red meats – including pork – can be pink, even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature.

Category	Food	Temperature (°F)	Rest Time
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures	Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb	160	None
	Turkey, Chicken	165	None
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb	Steaks, roasts, chops	145	3 mins
Poultry	Chicken & Turkey, whole	165	None
	Poultry breasts, roasts	165	None
	Poultry thighs, legs, wings	165	None
	Duck & Goose	165	None
	Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)	165	None
Pork and Ham	Fresh pork	145	3 mins
	Fresh ham (raw)	145	3 mins
	Precooked ham (to reheat)	140	None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Eggs	Cook until yolk and white are firm	None
	Egg dishes	160	None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Leftovers	165	None
	Casseroles	165	None
Seafood	Fin Fish	145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.	None
	Shrimp, lobster, and crabs	Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.	None
	Clams, oysters, and mussels	Cook until shells open during cooking.	None
	Scallops	Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.	None

Why the Rest Time is Important

After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs.

Seasonal Food Safety Tips

Enjoying food with family and friends is one of the highlights of the holiday season and frequently everyone wants to join in to help, but too many cooks in the kitchen can result in an increased risk of foodborne illness. Here are 10 tips to avoid common kitchen blunders when preparing meals, buffets and even homemade food gifts this holiday season..

Wash hands before, during and after food preparation. Proper hand washing may eliminate nearly half of all cases of foodborne illnesses. Remember to wash hands when switching tasks, such as handling raw meat and then cutting vegetables.
Keep kitchen surfaces such as appliances, countertops, cutting boards and utensils clean throughout meal preparation with hot, soapy water.
Always use two cutting boards: one for raw meat, poultry and fish and the other for ready-to-eat foods, like fruits and vegetables. Make it easy to remember by using color-coded cutting boards, one for raw meats and one for ready-to-eat foods.
Use separate spoons and forks to taste, stir and serve food.
Use a food thermometer. It is the ONLY reliable way to determine the doneness of your food and ensure that food is cooked to proper temperatures. Do not rely on "clear juices" to tell that the turkey is done. Use this chart of minimum internal cooking temperatures from MN Department of Health.
Refrigerate food within two hours of being served to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria that can lead to food poisoning. This is especially important when serving buffets.
Use a refrigerator thermometer and make sure it's set at below 40°F.
Never allow foods to defrost at room temperature, on the counter or in warm water. Defrost food only in the refrigerator or in the microwave. When defrosting food in the refrigerator, remember to cover raw meat and place it on the bottom shelf so juices won't drip onto other foods. When defrosting food in the microwave, cook it immediately afterward.
If taking food to parties, make sure to observe the same safety habits as at home — keep foods well-refrigerated and cook them to proper temperatures.
When baking, avoid eating foods containing raw eggs like cookie dough or cake batter. Raw eggs may contain harmful bacteria that can lead to food poisoning.

Joy To The Leftovers

Holiday meals often bring leftovers. Follow these tips to make sure you don't get sick the second time around.
Store leftovers in shallow containers (two inches deep or less).
Refrigerate/freeze leftovers within two hours of cooking the food.
Remove turkey from the bone and store it separately from the stuffing and gravy; slice breast meat; legs and wings may be left whole.
Use turkey within three to four days; and stuffing and gravy within one to two days.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
When in doubt, throw it out!

Find more tips to stay well over the holidays at HomeFoodSafety.org.

Food Safety

Your health and safety is our priority

Food Handling Tips

Clean

Separate

Cook

Chill

Temperature Chart

Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures

Why the Rest Time is Important

Seasonal Food Safety Tips

Joy To The Leftovers

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