Intro:
Welcome to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service Food Safety at home podcast series. These podcasts were designed with you in mind - the consumer - who purchases and prepares meat, poultry and processed meat, egg products for your family and friends.
Each episode will bring you a different food safety topic ranging from safe storage, handling, and preparation of meat, poultry and processed egg products to the importance of keeping foods safe during a power outage.
So sit back, turn up the volume and listen in.
Samantha: I am so hungry. My mom packed me a nice lunch last night. She even let me help.
Jade: What did you get?
Samantha: A chicken salad sandwich, chips, chopped carrots and a juice box.
Jade: That sounds good. I only have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple. I’ll be back; I have to go buy my chocolate milk.
Samantha: Oh, I almost forgot to clean my hands with hand sanitizer that my mom put in my lunch bag.
Jade: Can I use some of your hand sanitizer?
Your food looks yummy--- Can I come home with you sometime and see how your mom makes those amazing looking sandwiches? I want to be able to make my own chicken salad sandwiches.
Samantha: Of course you can. I’m sure my mom won’t mind.
Mom, I’m home. I brought Jade with me because she wants to learn how to make chicken salad sandwiches. Is that okay?
Mom: Sure, Sweetie. I was just about to make some. You can help me.
Okay, Girls. The first thing we must do is wash our hands with warm, soapy water for at least twenty (20) seconds to remove germs and bacteria. We’ll call this the CLEAN step.
Girls: Yes, yes, the CLEAN step!
Mom: Let’s cook the chicken. I’ll cut the chicken into parts and boil them. After it’s done, we’ll carefully remove it from the hot water, take the meat off the bones, add a few other ingredients, mix everything together, spread it between slices of bread, and Voilà! we have chicken salad sandwiches.
Girls, this is an important food safety tip that you need to remember: ALWAYS use separate cutting boards for handling raw meat or poultry and other perishable foods, like vegetables or bread.
Samantha: Should we call this the SEPARATE step?
Mom: Exactly, that IS the SEPARATE step. And once you’ve finished cutting up your meat, make sure you wash the cutting board with hot, soapy water.
Let me wash this cutting board, the knife I’ve used and the countertops with hot soapy water just in case some of the chicken juices got on it.
Jade: How long do we need to boil chicken?
Mom: It should take about an hour to cook. But we have to check the chicken’s internal temperature with a thermometer to make sure it has reached one hundred sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches that temperature, it will be safe. That’s our COOK step.
Samantha: Mom, Jade and I are going to go do our homework and be back in an hour to check the chicken.
Mom: Okay, see you in an hour.
Samantha: Mom, it’s been an hour! Let’s check the temperature of the chicken pieces.
Mom: Okay, Samantha. Let me get the food thermometer. I will stick it in the breast and several other pieces. Yep, its one hundred and sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit in each piece, so it’s safe to eat.
I’m going to place it in the refrigerator to get nice and cold. What should we call this very important step that …chills the meat?
Jade: the CHILL step?
Mom: Exactly right: the CHILL step.
Samantha: Great! Let’s make my lunch.
Mom: What should we do first…before we start?
Girls: Wash our hands!
Mom: Perfect—and what’s that called?
Girls: the CLEAN step!
Mom: I’ll take the chicken from the refrigerator and cut it up into a bowl.
Jade please get the mayonnaise, sweet relish, and mustard out of the refrigerator.
Samantha, please get the salt and pepper from the cupboard.
Jade: Can I put the mayonnaise, relish and mustard into the bowl?
Mom: You sure can. Get a spoon and scoop some out of each jar into the bowl.
Samantha, you can add the salt and pepper and mix all the ingredients.
Jade: Here’s bread to make a sandwich for each of you.
Mom: Thank you, Jade. Lay them on that clean plate.
Samantha: Mom, can I spread the chicken salad on the bread?
Mom: Yes. Then I’ll cut the sandwich into four squares, wrap it and put it in the refrigerator so it will stay cold for tomorrow’s lunch.
Samantha: CHILL step?!
Mom: yes, CHILL (big smile, chuckles?) you’re learning fast…I am also going to put in some grapes, and tomorrow we’ll add a frozen juice box in your lunch bag as well. I’ll put it in the lunch bag too so it will keep your sandwich nice and cold until lunch time. Who remembers the STEPS we talked about so far?
Girls: CLEAN-SEPARATE-COOK-and-CHILL!!
Mom: I give you both an A Plus! Would you girls like to help me with the rest of the lunch?
Samantha and Jade: We sure would!
Narrator: This segment of the “Food Safety at Home” program has been brought to you by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The organization that wants you to be “Be Food Safe.”
To hear other FSIS podcasts or get more information on the safe handling of meat, poultry and egg products, please visit the FSIS Web site at
www.fsis.usda.gov. That’s www.fsis.usda.gov, or visits us online for assistance from our virtual representative “Ask Karen” at
askkaren.gov.
Consumers may also call our toll-free USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline, at one, eight, eight, eight, MPHotline (1-888-MPHotline). That’s 1-888-674-6854.
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