Tesco has shared its advice on how to cook, defrost and store meat safely, including sausages, one of the most popular meat products in the UK.
Supermarket giant Tesco has issued guidance on the safe cooking, defrosting and storage of meat, including sausages – amongst Britain’s most beloved meat products.
The retailer outlined that meats such as sausages, chicken, turkey, game, duck, pork, mince, and rolled or boned joints must be thoroughly cooked.
Sausages require cooking “until piping hot throughout, with no pink colour in the centre”.
They advised: “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).”
Nevertheless, other meats like steaks, whole cuts of lamb and venison can be prepared and consumed rare as harmful bacteria are only found on the exterior of these cuts, reports the Express.
Expectant mothers should ensure all meat is cooked thoroughly due to toxoplasmosis risks.
Frozen sausages must be fully thawed 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 crucial tip, warning customers against washing sausages.
This is because rinsing meat can cause water to splash onto surfaces, spreading bacteria that could lead to food poisoning. The supermarket explained: “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 urged shoppers to always keep raw sausages in sealed containers at the bottom of the fridge, “to stop juices dripping onto other ready-to-eat foods”.
The retailer also suggested cleaning surfaces before and after food preparation and using separate chopping boards and utensils for raw sausages, meat, and other foods that are ready to eat.
Following cooking sausages, clean all the utensils thoroughly with hot water and washing up liquid or put them in the dishwasher, and wash your hands thoroughly and dispose of any meat packaging carefully and wash your hands afterwards.