With regards to dealing with meat, is the information in the article accurate? Any other key points.

[www.simplyfresh.info]

It does seem to be sensible advice.
I don't bleach my chopping boards but I do wash things well after cutting meat.
I am more fussy with chicken than with other meats for obvious reasons.
Re thawing and then re-freezing, if I thawed chicken in the fridge I wouldn't re-freeze it and didn't know that you could. I thought you needed to cook it first but they do seem to know their facts.

By and large it is good advice, and like Helen I am very fussy when handling raw chicken, not so much with other meats. Chicken has a high incidence of contamination with Campylobacter, not so other meats. I must say I don't scrub the bench top with hot soapy water, I just wipe it down, wash the board and knife, and in fine weather put the board outside in the sun to dry.

As far as keeping raw meats goes, I agree with their recommendations except for whole beef cuts, which keep much longer under refrigeration and in the case of prime cuts like T Bone steak, scotch fillet, fillet and sirloin, are much improved by 4 - 5 days' aging in the fridge. I have kept T Bones for a week with good results.

I agree that for the large part it is sensible advice. I do periodically bleach my cutting boards, but not after every use. After I cut meat on them they go straight in the dishwasher or get a good scrub with hot water and soap.

I believe the thawing and refreezing (after fridge defrosting) advice is fairly new. The logic being that if it has only been thawed in the fridge, the temperature of the meat has not gone above 4C (if your fridge is working correctly) and therefore it has not entered the 5-65C "danger zone" for rapid bacterial growth.

Quote

If freezing meat and poultry in its original package longer than 2 months, over wrap these packages with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap, freezer paper or plastic freezer bags.

This part I would interpret as a quality rather than food safety thing. More to avoid freezer burn than anything else. I don't over wrap meat and frequently have it frozen for more than 2 months. Occasionally you get a bit of freezer burn, but nothing major.

I always freeze chickens just in their original packaging and they are usually frozen for more than 2 months. I agree it is just to prevent freezer burn.

Thanks everyone.

What about kitchen benches etc - if any meat comes in contact. To be honest I mostly clean with a hot sponge and only apply chemical cleaner if necessary and thats very rarely, and even then I start with hand soap and work my way up.

To clean up I use an ecostore spray. Personally I like to use some sort of soap/spray when cleaning meat mess. Hot water and hand/dish soap would be fine. Just something to help the molecules detach from the bench surface.

Thanks Jenna. No food poisoning issues so far, but it was back of mind that more cleaning should be done, but don't want to become paranoid.

As a general rule I do not purchase antibacterial products.. and without that component, sprays are all much of a muchness. Cleaning is important, especially with chicken, but paranoia is not needed.

May I ask about cold meats.

If you cook some meat that was frozen, and the leftovers go in the fridge - can you eat directly out of fridge or do you have to reheat.
In the above scenario, how long will the meat keep in the fridge.

I eat cold roast and other meats from the fridge, no problem. I think it is the young/old/pregnant and those with weakened immune systems are recommended to heat leftovers until steaming. Personally I don't eat leftovers past 3 days. As in if I cook something on Monday night, I'll still easy it on Thursday night, but not beyond that. Chicken is usually 2 days, but that is just my comfort level, there may well be nothing wrong with it.

Jenna's right - just make sure the meat is reheated till very hot to kill any bacteria that may have found it's way onto the meat. Reheating till just warm is one of the worst ways to get sick as any bacteria multiplies very quickly in warmth.

I too am careful with raw chicken. I just wipe benches down with clean water. I use only wooden chopping boards and just hand wash with the few things I don't throw in the dishwasher. I air dry them to prevent mould. My understanding is that wood has natural antibacterial properties, as well as being so much nicer to use. I flip them over and use the other side after raw meat to save getting a new one out. I've never had any problems.

I never cook meat straight from the fridge, but recently was at a friend's and they were planning on BBQing chicken, they almost died when I suggested taking it out of the fridge 1/2 an hour before cooking it. To my mind bringing it up to room temp prior to cooking minimises the chances that it won't cook evenly (therefore reducing the likelyhood of food poisoning from undercooked chook).
To be quite honest, I usually defrost chicken on the bench, except on very hot days in summer, and we've never had food poisoning from it.

I agree with some of the tips here. But, I don't bleach my chopping board. I just washed it with soap and finishing it with hot water.

I usually recommend to disinfect wooden chopping boards with salt & lemon juice mixture. It won't destroy your chopping board but will kill bacteria in it

[www.woodencraft.co.nz]