January 26, 2007
by Brenda Kohlmyer

Whenever you work with raw ground beef, make sure you:

Use Freshly Packed Meat

Butchers and grocery stores put dates on packaged hamburger to indicate when it was packed and when it should be used or frozen by. Pay attention to the "use by" date, if you haven't cooked the fresh meat by then, don't, You can freeze raw meat before the "use by" date, but if it isn't in the freezer by that date, throw it out. If the raw meat smells at all odd or looks brown rather than pink, it's probably not good. When it doubt, throw it out.

Keep It Refrigerated at Home

When you bring the hamburger home from the grocery store, put it in the refrigerator immediately and leave it there until you're ready to cook the hamburger.

Your refrigerator will have a bottom drawer marked "meat". This drawer is specifically for raw meat and should be slightly cooler than the rest of the refrigerator, allowing you to store the hamburger safely for several days. Putting your packaged hamburger in this lower drawer also reduces the risk of blood dripping from the raw meat onto other food in the refrigerator.

Keep It Contained During Prep

When you take the hamburger package out of the refrigerator, set it on a cutting board or other surface that can be cleaned and disinfected easily. Open the package from the top and leave any utensils that touch the raw meat on the package or in the pan so they don't transfer raw blood or raw meat to other surfaces. If you are making hamburger patties, use a plate or cutting board to hold the raw patties before transfering them to a frying pan or grill.

Keep It Contained During Prep

When you take the hamburger package out of the refrigerator, set it on a cutting board or other surface that can be cleaned and disinfected easily. Open the package from the top and leave any utensils that touch the raw meat on the package or in the pan so they don't transfer raw blood or raw meat to other surfaces. If you are making hamburger patties, use a plate or cutting board to hold the raw patties before transfering them to a frying pan or grill.

Cook Raw Hamburger Thoroughly

Some people love pink steaks, but ground beef is not steak, and should be cooked until all of the pink is gone. This kills any possible bacteria. To be positive you've cooked the hamburger enough, use a meat thermometer. Test for doneness by inserting the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the burger and holding it there until the gauge stops rising. For ground beef, the gauge should indicate 170 ° Farenheit when the burger is fully cooked.

Wash Everything That Touches the Raw Meat

Immediately after handling raw hamburger, or any raw meat, use soap and hot water to clean the cutting board, plates, utensils and your hands. This reduces the possibility of transferring bacteria around the kitchen and reduces the risk of cross-contaminating raw vegetables and other food.