Poultry

Food poisoning germs can be present in raw poultry on delivery to your premises. However, provided that the bird is prepared and cooked properly these germs can be destroyed. Follow these simple measures to minimise the risks of food poisoning.

Frozen poultry - thawing

1. Frozen poultry must be completely thawed before cooking. A simple test is to check that there are no ice crystals in the body cavity and that the legs are flexible.

2. It is best to thaw poultry in a refrigerated unit operating between 0ºC and 5ºC, or where this is not possible, in a cold room.

(If you thaw the bird in a sink you must sanitise the sink after use - see section on sanitising procedure).

Handling raw poultry

3. It is important to remember that raw poultry may contain food poisoning germs and that special care must be taken to prevent the spread of these germs around the kitchen.

4. You must, therefore, make sure that utensils or equipment touching your poultry are properly sanitised after use. Refer to details for sanitising equipment later in this Guidance Note.

5. Hands must be thoroughly washed using a nailbrush and bactericidal soap immediately after handling raw poultry.

Storage of raw poultry

6. Raw poultry must be stored separately from other foods.

7. If you have to place it in the same refrigerator as other foods ensure that the meat is covered and positioned on the bottom shelf.

Sanitising procedures

8. The most effective method of sanitising equipment is by the use of very hot water. Dishwashers can maintain sufficiently high temperatures and are therefore strongly recommended.

9. Alternatively, use a chemical sanitiser which can be purchased from your cleaning materials supplier or possibly your Cash and Carry store.

10. In addition, you will need to swab down table tops, sinks and other surfaces with a sanitising agent.

11. It is important when using and storing chemicals you that you follow closely the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cooking poultry

12. It is vital that poultry is thoroughly cooked to the centre of the bird. As a guide only, in a conventional oven allow 20 minutes per pound in weight plus 20 minutes at 190ºC, 375ºF, gas mark 5.

13. To ensure thorough cooking, do not stuff the main body of the bird. Only the neck end should be stuffed if desired.

14. For large catering turkeys you can split the legs from the body to ensure that the deepest part of the flesh is cooked through.

15. To test whether the bird is cooked, push a clean metal skewer into the deepest part of the flesh. If the juices run clear it is done. If they run pink return to the oven for a further 15 minutes and repeat the test.

16. If the cooking of poultry is carried out on a regular basis, it is advisable to provide a meat thermometer to ensure that the poultry is thoroughly cooked.

Serving

17. If the meat has to be kept hot or displayed for any period of time ensure that it is stored in a hot cabinet at a temperature above 70ºC.

18. If you are to serve the poultry cold, cool down the meat within 11/2 hours after cooking and then hold in a refrigerator operating at 5ºC or below until required for service. Birds may be jointed to assist rapid cooling.

Reheating

19. If possible do not reheat poultry. If unavoidable, you must make sure the meat is thoroughly reheated and the centre of the meat must reach at least 70ºC.