Key Food Safety Instructions For Recipes

Instructions

First Direction

Start with clean countertops and equipment.

Second Direction

Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. Dry with a single-use paper towel.

Third Direction

If fresh fruits, vegetables, or herbs are included as ingredients, place an asterisk (*) after each item in the ingredient list and use one or all the following as applicable:

• Gently rub fresh fruits and vegetables under cold, running water. Scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush. Prepare as directed.
• Prewashed, packaged items do not require further washing.
• Gently rinse fresh herbs under cold, running water.

Studies show that incorporating food safety instructions in recipe directions improves food safety behaviors. Based on the four core food safety practices—clean, separate, cook, and chill—key phrases to include at appropriate steps within recipe directions are provided below. Optional statements and phrases specific to food service operations are included for use as applicable. Use this template as a guide for inserting key food safety phrases when revising or developing recipes.

Insert these additional phrases in recipe directions as needed

Clean

• Wash hands after touching [food, e.g., raw poultry, meat, eggs, raw flour, seafood].
• Wipe off tops of cans before opening (optional).
• Wash the food thermometer probe with hot, soapy water (optional).

Separate—Don't Cross-Contaminate

• Wash [equipment, e.g., cutting board, counter, utensils, serving plate] after touching [food, e.g., raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, raw flour].
• Do not rinse raw meat or poultry.
• Do not reuse marinade used on raw foods (if applicable).
• Store ready-to-eat and cooked foods above raw foods in the refrigerator (optional).
• Use a different cutting board for raw meat, poultry, seafood, and produce (applicable for food service).
• Wear single-use gloves when serving the public (applicable for food service).

Cook

• Cook [food item] until the internal temperature reaches [minimum internal temperature] on a food thermometer.
  Insert into blanks above as applicable:
  + Chicken, turkey, duck (whole, parts, or ground),165°F (74°C)
  + Beef, pork, lamb, veal (ground), 160°F (71°C)
  + Beef, pork, veal, lamb (roasts, steaks, or chops), 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest after removal from heat source
  + Fin fish (e.g., cod, haddock, tilapia, salmon, tuna), 145°F (63°C)
  + Shrimp, lobster, crabs, 145°F (63°C) (flesh pearly and opaque)
  + Scallops, 145°F (63°C) (milky white, opaque, and firm)
  + Clams, oysters, mussels, 145°F (63°C) (shells open during cooking)
  + Eggs and egg dishes, 160°F (71°C) (cook eggs until yolk and white are firm; scrambled eggs should not be runny)
  + Leftovers, 165°F (74°C)
• If not serving cooked food immediately, keep the food hot at 140°F (60°C) or higher, or cool and refrigerate within 2 hours (applicable for food service).

Chill

• If not serving food immediately, refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or lower (if applicable).
• Refrigerate leftover food in shallow containers within 2 hours. Use within 3 to 4 days or freeze for future use (if applicable).

Sources

FoodSafety.gov. "Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Charts."

Partnership for Food Safety Education. "Safe Recipe Style Guide."