FAQs on Food Safety

Soft cheeses are great, right?  The taste and texture are irresistible, the protein and calcium are healthful, and the cheeses are easy to smear on a cracker and pop into our mouths--over and over.  But soft cheese is also riskier, so it must be selected and handled carefully.   The FAQs that follow explain the dangers and offer tips on proper care.

If you've ever purchased a food thermometer (and I certainly hope you have), you probably found it packaged with a list of minimum safe temperatures for cooking different types of perishable foods.  For meat and fish, it's 145°F; for eggs, it's 160°F; for poultry, it's 165°F; and so on. Shelf Life Advice has also told you that leftovers should be heated to165°F. Perhaps you've been wondering why there's so much variation in recommended safe cooking temperatures. The following Q/As delve into the reasons.