Frozen Chicken Dinner Dangers

Oct. 6, 2008 - PRLog -- Recently I was doing some research on Salmonella poisoning and I came across a press release on Salmonella poisoning 32 people in 12 different states. What was the cause of all this sickness? Frozen chicken dinners. (Here is the link to that story: (http://narmer.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/salmonella-sickens-people-in-12-states/)

From what I have read the government is urging consumers to thoroughly cook their frozen chicken dinners before eating. The health warning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited frozen dishes in which the chicken is raw, but breaded or pre-browned, giving the appearance of being cooked. They include “chicken cordon bleu,” “chicken Kiev,” or chicken breasts stuffed with cheese, vegetables or other items. The USDA stated that many of the people who had fallen ill used a microwave to cook their frozen chicken dinner, which did not heat the meals enough  to kill the Salmonella.

Personally, I think the best solution to all of this is to not buy frozen chicken entrées. I know that they can be tasty, and I understand that many of you guys are busy with kids, and work, and a million other things that probably make this quick and easy meal seem very appealing, but really it’s not very healthy even if you minus the Salmonella. And, there are a number of other dishes you can prepare that are quick and easy, and don’t have Salmonella written all over them.

Usually when I cook chicken for my family I take a chicken breast, and I cut it up in tiny pieces (this helps it to cook more thoroughly and also makes it easier to check while you’re cooking). I  throw it in a pan with some light olive oil, an onion and some pepper, and it comes out delicious. You can put something like this over some brown rice, or whole wheat pasta and it’s very good. Or, you can spend 10 minutes cooking some whole wheat pasta and 5 minutes mixing up some tuna from a can (using some fat free mayo). And you can mix those two things together (another 3 minutes or so) for some wonderful tuna pasta salad. There are plenty of other quick and healthy recipes online, just google “quick and healthy recipes” and you’ll see.

If however you do choose to continue to buy frozen chicken dinners, please remember to use the oven, not the microwave, and allow your meal to cook very thoroughly before you consume it.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems such as infants and the elderly.

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