Time, Temp & Taste are important to Cooking your food to Safe Temperatures and not compromising the Quality.
White meat such as Chicken & Turkey breast are sometimes (most times); cooked to the point that they are as dry as eating cotton. Your beautiful green colored vegetables, such as broccoli; are no longer have the right be called “green” or possibly even “trees”; as they have been cooked & held to the point of no return.
This article will give you some information. Some strategies also to help you be able to serve foods safely without ruining them beyond recognizable eatable foods.
Minimum Internal Temps and White Meat
Meat is expensive; AND… we can’t afford to ruin a good piece of meat that if done correctly; could be the best meat you ever had. Chicken & Turkey can be cook safely to eat and still retain the juices and flavors that make it palatable. There isn’t usually a problem when cooking “short order” or on demand. The challenges come when we are cooking large quantities ahead of time. Holding it at a certain temperature and serving it en masse to your gathering.
If you chicken or turkey are going into a slow cooker or roaster after cooking; then you might not need to go all the way to 165 degrees. Carryover cooking is where the temperature in the center of the meat continues to rise. After you take the bird out of the oven as the hotter outside reaches equilibrium with the cooler center. With some attention to detail, you can fine- tune and avoid serving chicken and turkey that feels like you’re chewing on leather.
Are you convinced yet? Are you still insisting on going all the way to 165, Just remember that because 165 degrees is good, 185 degrees is not better. Check temps early and often.
VEGETABLES (time & temp)
Many vegetables can fall victim to the crimes of “heat” when it comes to food safety. When they are kept too long under heat lamps or in hotboxes, they lose there vibrant color and visual appeal. The texture and most of the nutritional valve is gone.
Vegetables need to be cooked close to the time that they are going to be served. Batch cooking is the best if you have very large groups coming at different times. Never hold them at higher than necessary temperatures. Steaming your vegetables is one of the best ways to not “boil out” all the nutritional valve or add additional fat. Steaming preserves more of the vitamins and nutrients and it doesn’t dry them out.
If you are cooking fresh vegetables; you can blanch them for 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, then immediately “shock” them in ice water. This will fix their bright colors, making them more resilient to the cooking process later.
Cooking Safe Food
Time; Temp & Taste is the 3 components that need to be completed together. Cooking safe food doesn’t have to mean “bad tasting” food; paying attention can make all the difference in how your meat turns out. Remember, treat your minimum internal temps as maximum internal temps. If 165 degrees F is the minimum, don’t aim for 180, go for 165. AND…Don’t set your hot holding equipment temps at 200 degrees F.
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