Four Steps to Food Safety | CDC

Following four simple steps at home—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill—can help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning. Skipdirectlytositecontent Skipdirectlytopageoptions SkipdirectlytoA-Zlink FoodSafety SectionNavigation CDCHome Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate FourStepstoFoodSafety:Clean,Separate,Cook,ChillEspañol(Spanish) Minus RelatedPages Followingfoursimplestepsathome—Clean,Separate,Cook,andChill—canhelpprotectyouandyourlovedonesfromfoodpoisoning. Clean:Washyourhandsandsurfacesoften. Germsthatcausefoodpoisoningcansurviveinmanyplacesandspreadaroundyourkitchen. Washhandsfor20secondswithsoapandwaterbefore,during,andafterpreparingfoodandbeforeeating. Washyourutensils,cuttingboards,andcountertopswithhot,soapywaterafterpreparingeachfooditem. Rinsefreshfruitsandvegetablesunderrunningwater. Separate:Don’tcross-contaminate. Rawmeat,poultry,seafood,andeggscanspreadgermstoready-to-eatfoods—unlessyoukeepthemseparate. Useseparatecuttingboardsandplatesforrawmeat,poultry,andseafood. Whengroceryshopping,keeprawmeat,poultry,seafood,andtheirjuicesawayfromotherfoods. Keeprawmeat,poultry,seafood,andeggsseparatefromallotherfoodsintherefrigerator. TopofPageCooktotherighttemperature. Foodissafelycookedwhentheinternaltemperaturegetshighenoughtokillgermsthatcanmakeyousick.Theonlywaytotelliffoodissafelycookedistouseafoodthermometer.Youcan’ttelliffoodissafelycookedbycheckingitscolorandtexture(exceptforseafood). Useafoodthermometertoensurefoodsarecookedtoasafeinternaltemperature.Checkthischartforadetailedlistoftemperaturesandfoods,includingshellfishandprecookedhamexternalicon. Wholecutsofbeef,veal,lamb,andpork,includingfreshham(raw):145°F(thenallowthemeattorestfor3minutesbeforecarvingoreating) Fishwithfins:145°Forcookuntilfleshisopaque Groundmeats,suchasbeefandpork:160°F Allpoultry,includinggroundchickenandturkey:165°F Leftoversandcasseroles:165°F Microwavefoodthoroughly: Knowyourmicrowave’swattage.Checkinsidethedoor,owner’smanual,ormanufacturer’swebsite.Lowerwattageexternaliconmeanslongercookingtime. Followrecommendedcookingandstandingtimes,toallowforadditionalcookingaftermicrowavingstops.Lettingfoodsitforafewminutesaftermicrowavingallowscoldspotstoabsorbheatfromhotterareasandcookmorecompletely. Whenreheating,useafoodthermometertomakesurethatmicrowavedfoodreaches165°F. Chill:Refrigeratepromptly. Bacteriacanmultiplyrapidlyifleftatroomtemperatureorinthe“DangerZone”between40°Fand140°F. Keepyourrefrigeratorat40°Forbelow,yourfreezerat0˚Forbelow,andknowwhentothrowfoodoutexternalicon. Dividewarmfoodsintoseveralclean,shallowcontainerssotheywillchillfaster. Refrigerateperishablefoodwithin2hours.Ifthefoodisexposedtotemperaturesabove90°F(likeahotcarorpicnic),refrigerateitwithin1hour. Thawfrozenfoodsafelyintherefrigerator,incoldwaterexternalicon,orinthemicrowave.Neverthawfoodsonthecounterbecausebacteriamultiplyquicklyinthepartsofthefoodthatreachroomtemperature. Bacteriacanmultiplyrapidlyifleftatroomtemperatureorinthe“DangerZone”between40°Fand140°F.Neverleaveperishablefoodoutformorethan2hours(or1hourifexposedtotemperaturesabove90°F). TopofPageMoreInformation FoodSafetyandEatingOut FoodborneGermsandIllnesses Foodsafety.gov:FoodKeeperAppexternalicon Foodsafety.gov:4StepstoFoodSafetyexternalicon 10DangerousFoodSafetyMistakesLearnhowtoprotectyourselfandyourfamilyfromfoodpoisiningbyavoiding10commonfoodsafetymistakes. LearnMore TopofPage Pagelastreviewed:March4,2022 Contentsource: CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalCenterforEmergingandZoonoticInfectiousDiseases(NCEZID),DivisionofFoodborne,Waterborne,andEnvironmentalDiseases(DFWED)   homeFoodSafetyHomePage HowtoPreventFoodPoisoningplusicon FourStepstoFoodSafety FastFactsAboutFoodPoisoning 10DangerousFoodSafetyMistakes FoodSafetyintheKitchen FoodDeliverySafety FoodSafetyandEatingOut CleaningYourRefrigerator FoodSafetyforSpecialEventsandHolidaysplusicon FoodSafetyfortheHolidays PreparingYourHolidayTurkeySafely GameDayFoodSafetyTips HomeCanningandBotulism HowtoGrillSafely PreparingChitlinsSafely SayNotoRawDough FoodPoisoningSymptoms PeopleWithaHigherRisk FoodsThatCanCauseFoodPoisoningplusicon HandlingandPreparingCommonFoods ChickenandFoodPoisoning FruitandVegetableSafety Lettuce,OtherLeafyGreens,andFoodSafety OystersandVibriosis RawMilkDangersplusicon TryingtoDecideAboutRawMilk? RawMilkMyths RawMilkQuestionsandAnswers RealStoriesoftheDangersofRawMilk RawMilkInfographic OutbreakStudies Resources&Publications FoodborneGermsandIllnessesplusicon A-ZIndex KeepFoodSafeAfteraDisasterorEmergencyplusicon FoodSafetyforPowerOutages FoodborneOutbreaks EducationalMaterialsplusicon PatientStoriesplusicon E.coliIllnessLinkedtoCakeBatter:Harlee’sStory SalmonellaIllnessLinkedtoChicken:AJ’sStory BabyChicksandSalmonella:Tyler’sStory SickKids,DairyCalves,andAntibioticsThatDon’tWork:Dr.MeginNichols’sStory SocialMedia Features Videos Infographics SyndicatedContent FoodSafetyNewsletters FoodSafetyEducationMonthplusicon SocialMedia HealthcareProfessionals HealthDepartments CDC’sRoleinFoodSafetyplusicon FoodSafetyModernizationAct ChallengesinFoodSafetyplusicon AntibioticResistance Culture-IndependentDiagnosticTests HowFoodGetsContaminated GetEmailUpdates ToreceiveregularCDCupdatesonfoodsafety,enteryouremailaddress: EmailAddress What'sthis? 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