To avoid food poisoning from pork, buy high-quality meat, check the expiration date, store it properly, handle it with care, cook it thoroughly, and refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly. Avoid cross-contamination and clean utensils and surfaces.
Food poisoning from pork can make you very ill and in severe cases can even be dangerous, but there are a number of things you can do to avoid it. Try to buy high-quality meat that hasn’t passed its expiration date and store it properly before using. Be sure to handle pork with care, avoiding cross-contamination with other foods, and making sure all surfaces it touches and your hands are thoroughly washed before and after. When you prepare it, make sure it is cooked through. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly and don’t eat them if they show signs of spoilage.
You can take steps to avoid food poisoning from pork even before you prepare or eat it. Look for a high-quality, reliable brand of meat and check the expiration date to make sure it’s still good. Limit the time you take pork out of the refrigerator or freezer as much as possible, even when thawing it after freezing.
Contamination from improper handling during preparation often leads to food poisoning from pork, so take steps to prevent this from happening. Wash your hands before touching the pork and prepare it on a clean surface. Do not let it touch other foods and do not prepare other foods on the same surface that the pork was on, as this can spread any microorganisms it contains. Make sure you thoroughly clean any cutting boards, knives or other utensils you use, and wash your hands again when you’re done.
Proper cooking is another key step in avoiding food poisoning from pork. Use a meat thermometer to check that the pork has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) at its thickest part. Consume it as quickly as possible after cooking, preferably still hot; pork shouldn’t be left out at room temperature for long periods of time.
Leftover pork can also lead to food poisoning if not handled appropriately. As mentioned above, pork doesn’t need to sit around for very long, so it needs to be refrigerated or frozen as soon as possible after cooking so the bacteria don’t have time to multiply and grow. If you choose to refrigerate your pork, it should be eaten within a day or two of initial cooking and reheated thoroughly. Signs that the meat has gone bad, such as slimy or a bad smell, indicate that it should be thrown away immediately.
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