Braising simply means cooking in a closed vessel (such as a Dutch oven) with liquid added. Braising is typically done at relatively low cooking temperatures. It’s one of the time-honored secrets of turning relatively inexpensive cuts such as beef short ribs, lamb shanks, or the tough old chicken of classic French coq au vin into tender, succulent delicacies.
The risks of harmful bacterial growth are greatest in the range of 40°F to 140°F. To avoid foodborne illness, it’s crucial that you do the following:
In short, keep hot things hot and cold things cold.
Use an instant-read digital thermometer to measure the internal temperature at the thickest part of the food. For more detailed temperature guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture website at foodsafety.gov.
With a high-volume container of food such as a pot of chili, the center can still be warm (and breeding harmful bacteria) after hours in the refrigerator. To quickly chill stews, sauces, and soups to a safe temperature, first refrigerate in a wide, shallow vessel such as a baking dish. In a couple of hours, the food will be cold throughout. Then you can transfer it to any storage container you like for long-term refrigeration.
Obviously, you don’t want to cut salad greens on the same surface you just prepped raw chicken. Cross-contamination can also occur with foods you intend to cook. For example, if you slice zucchini on the board you just used for chicken, you’ll need to cook the vegetable to the safe temperature of chicken, 165°F, to kill any harmful bacteria that transferred.
After cutting raw meat or poultry, wash the knife – don’t just wipe down the blade – before using it on other foods. Otherwise, cook those foods to the safe temperature of the meat or poultry to avoid cross-contamination.
It’s a common mistake of home cooks: using tongs or a spatula to transfer raw food to the pan or grill and then using the same utensil, unwashed, to handle the food after cooking. Similarly, a brush used to baste undercooked food can transfer bacteria not only to other foods, but also back into the sauce you’re basting with. Basting sauce that has come into direct or indirect contact with raw or undercooked food should never be used as a table sauce. Sure, you can heat it up to kill bacteria, but for safety, it’s best to divide your sauce – some for basting and some for serving.
The packages of meat and poultry you bring home from the grocery store are prone to leakage. A little of the liquid on a refrigerator shelf can easily spread bacteria. For safe storage, transfer such foods to containers you know are sealed. Also pay attention to how you stack foods in your refrigerator, being careful not to stack foods that can leak from one layer down to the next.