Supermarket giant Tesco has issued guidance on the proper methods for cooking, defrosting and storing meat safely, with particular focus on sausages. The retailer outlined that certain meats, including sausages, chicken, turkey, game, duck, pork, mince, and rolled or boned joints, require thorough cooking.
Sausages — amongst the nation’s most beloved meat products —must be cooked “until piping hot throughout, with no pink colour in the centre”. The supermarket added: “If you have a temperature probe, check the centre of the meat has reached 70C for at least two minutes (or 75C for at least 30 seconds).” By contrast, other meats such as steaks, whole cuts of lamb, and venison may be cooked and consumed rare, as harmful bacteria causing food poisoning exist solely on the exterior of these cuts.
Expectant mothers should ensure all meat is thoroughly cooked due to toxoplasmosis risks, it is crucial to note.
Frozen sausages must be fully defrosted prior to cooking.
Tesco recommended: “Defrost in the fridge overnight, or if you’re going to cook it straight away, you can defrost using the microwave. It’s best not to use running water to avoid spreading germs around.”
The chain shared another vital tip, urging customers against washing sausages.
This is due to water potentially splashing onto surfaces, thereby spreading bacteria, including those which may trigger food poisoning. The supermarket clarified: “We may have read in cookbooks or been told by our grandmother to wash poultry or meat before preparing it but in fact this is one of the worst things you can do. Just small numbers of Campylobacter, and other food poisoning bacteria, such as Salmonella and E.coli O157, found in fresh poultry and other raw meat can cause serious infections.”
Tesco suggested always storing raw sausages in sealed containers at the bottom of the fridge, “to stop juices dripping onto other ready-to-eat foods”.
They also recommended cleaning surfaces before and after food preparation and using separate chopping boards and utensils for raw sausages, meat, and other ready-to-eat foods.
After cooking sausages, they advised washing all the utensils thoroughly with hot water and washing up liquid or putting them in the dishwasher, and washing your hands thoroughly. They also suggested disposing of any meat packaging carefully and washing your hands afterwards.
