Would you like your salmonella on whole wheat or rye?

Yesterday was Day One of Three of my Illinois and Chicago sanitation certification course.

Holy Cow! Holy Chicken! Holy E.Coli!

I learned a lot about food intoxication and food infections, O.S.H.A, Salmonella, E.Coli, Thanksgiving and the myth of the 24 hour flu. Here’s the deal, next year I am in charge of the turkey. Poor Cathy went out to dinner with me and I couldn’t stop talking about all the things I’d learned.

For example. E. Coli comes from grass that cows eat. When the cow is “dressed” or slaughtered, the gutter rips out the intestines and inevitably rips open an intestine spilling E.Coli all over the meat. However, E.Coli is a surface bacteria and does not infect the inside of a cut of beef. When cooking beef you have to cook the SURFACE for 15 seconds at 165 degrees to kill the bacteria. That is why you can get a steak rare and bloody (simply seared on each side for 15 seconds to kill the e.coli).

A hamburger (or anything of ground beef, ground sirloin, chopped beef) has lots of surface area and the E.Coli has been all mixed in. Never get a burger anything less that medium well. Get rid of the pink and you will get rid of the E.Coli.

I’ll leave you with that and talk about Salmonella Sandwiches later.