The dangers of cooking food halfway (freeze, cooker, butter, glass)
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Anyone care to help me convince my mother that cooking meats halfway and then finishing them later is not safe? Especially with poultry? She has some memory problems and has just started trying to do this over the last few years. Like she'll start cooking very late at night for no good reason, then get tired and want to refrigerate the food and finish cooking it the next day. So she might cook a chicken for an hour, then want to finish it later.
I stop her when I catch her doing it (or notice a half-cooked turkey sitting in the fridge), but I'm really worried she's going to make herself or someone else very sick one of these days. Not to mention the amount of money wasted when I have to throw the food out.
I did it several times and I don't think there is any danger, because she puts it into the fridge and the next day finish cooking until done ( so, even if there is some bacteria - it gets killed when cooked the next day ).
She does not eat it just half-done, isn't she?
Searing the meat ( except ground meat ) will kill any surface bacteria almost immediately. Then the meat is refrigerated immediately, and no part of it is in the "danger zone" for longer than 45 minutes or so, and even if she did miss some of the bacteria during the browning and they manage to multiply overnight, she is is finishing the cooking the next day and that is going to kill any remaining bacteria.
As long as the safe internal temperature is reached the next day there is no danger. Food safety is less about how long something is cooked than it is about the temperature reached before serving. Use a good food thermometer to check:
As long as the safe internal temperature is reached the next day there is no danger. Food safety is less about how long something is cooked than it is about the temperature reached before serving. Use a good food thermometer to check:
Exactly. I've taken multiple sanitation classes, and as long as it is refrigerated overnight, and then cooked to the proper temperature before being eaten, it is fine. Banquet places do this all this time.
I'm guessing you're afraid your mom will cook the meat partially, the next day forget that it isn't cooked thoroughly, and then eat it half cooked? Because if she does remember to finish cooking the next day, there should be no issue as long as the food was refrigerated.
Is there any way you can get her to "close" the kitchen after a certain point in the evening? No more late-night cooking sessions, nothing more than a glass of water or a cup of tea.
Anyone care to help me convince my mother that cooking meats halfway and then finishing them later is not safe? Especially with poultry? She has some memory problems and has just started trying to do this over the last few years. Like she'll start cooking very late at night for no good reason, then get tired and want to refrigerate the food and finish cooking it the next day. So she might cook a chicken for an hour, then want to finish it later.
You are saying that she did it repeatedly over the last few years??? Never got sick?
Then she must be doing it right! No reason to panic or ban her from the kitchen.
The method is widely used. People do pre-cook food one day and finish cooking it the next.
If she insists on cooking late at night maybe you can convince her to use a slow cooker. Then she can put the food in there and set it to cook as she sleeps, maybe buy her a slow cooker book to inspire her.
Otherwise the partial cooking thing is ok as long as she remembers to finish cooking it the next day.
I'm guessing you're afraid your mom will cook the meat partially, the next day forget that it isn't cooked thoroughly, and then eat it half cooked? Because if she does remember to finish cooking the next day, there should be no issue as long as the food was refrigerated.
Is there any way you can get her to "close" the kitchen after a certain point in the evening? No more late-night cooking sessions, nothing more than a glass of water or a cup of tea.
Yes, I'm sorry for not explaining it well in the first post. My concern is that she won't remember to finish cooking it. Or that she'll finish cooking the meat, but not boil the gravy/sauce it was sitting in overnight while half-raw. I'm particularly concerned with the poultry because it often has stuffing in it and my understanding it that this raises the risk of bacterial sickness much higher if the center isn't well and truly done.
I actually called the Butterball hotline thing at Christmas last year because she wanted to do this (halfway cook a stuffed turkey) and they said absolutely not to.
I think the slow cooker thing is a great idea- I'll definitely try that. The real issue why she's cooking late at night is because she buys meats, then refuses to freeze them. Then she freaks out because they are near or past the sell-by-date and insists on cooking them late at night so they don't spoil.
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