Revisiting Safe Cooking Practices for Rare Meat and Poultry

Proper handling, cooking, and storage practices of animal flesh has always been a big concern. Many options we definitely know should never be undercooked
Revisiting Safe Cooking Practices for Rare Meat and Poultry
December 13, 2012

Proper handling, cooking, and storage practices in regards to animal flesh have always been a big concern for consumers.
Many options we definitely know should never be concerned undercooked or rare. These include chicken, turkey, pork, and similar options. However, beef and other options are normally considered to be safe to consume rare or even raw in some cases.

But what about options like duck? And are there any extenuating circumstances that make rare far too risky? Let’s take a closer look at current standards in regards to which options are safe and which ones should be bypassed altogether.

One item to definitely keep an eye on today as far as how it’s handled is pate. This item, in particular, was recently brought back into the spotlight when 49 wedding guests, as well as the newlyweds, wound up deathly ill due to a poorly handled duck liver pate. The pate turned out to have been contaminated with Campylobacter, a bacterium found in many varieties of poultry. Campylobacter is actually one of the most common causes of food poisoning in Australia today, so this is definitely something to pay attention to.

“As in the UK, the numbers of food poisoning cases linked to Campylobacter in undercooked poultry liver pâté or parfait (a smoother kind of pate) has increased in Australia too,” states Julianna Madden, the executive director of the Food Safety Information Council. For this reason, people need to become more vigilant in regards to all poultry from here on out.

While most people do understand that undercooked chicken is a definite no-no, the same can’t always be said for duck. There is even a debate on the matter with some experts saying rare duck is fine to eat, with others disagreeing because of incidents like the one mentioned above. When in doubt, opt for full cooked, as that eliminates your chances of becoming ill from consumption.