Don’t judge your burger by its color

When you fire up the briquettes this weekend for the annual bash to welcome summer grilling season, remember this advice from the researchers at Washington State University: You can’t judge a burger by its color.

We all know hamburger patties that are brown all the way though are safe to eat. Right?

Not so, says retired WSU extension food safety expert Val Hillers. “Research found that a quarter of the burgers tested had not reached a safe internal temperature even though they were brown throughout.” Some burgers can still appear pink when they are safe to eat and others that look safe are not completely cooked, Hillers says in a news release.

The only way to be sure you’re not endangering the guests or serving hockey pucks at your Memorial Day cookout is to use a meat thermometer.

Instant-read food thermometers, whether dial or digital, are easily found and range in price from about $3.99 up to $30. I just replaced my old dial thermometer with a digital instant-read model for $12.99. It’s designed with the sensor in the tip so that thin cuts of meat such as hamburgers, chops and chicken breasts will easily register.

“It’s really a minor investment when you consider the safety of the food you feed your family,” says Sandy McCurdy, a University of Idaho Extension food safety specialist. She teamed up with Hillers to get the word out about the importance of using a food thermometer.

They developed recipe cards and fliers that are available at some stores in the area, including Haggen Foods and Top Foods in Washington and Albertsons stores in Idaho. A brochure and video are also available online by going to http://pubs.wsu.edu/. Enter “thermometer” in the search box.

Here are the basics they want you to remember:

“ With burgers and other thin cuts of meat it’s important to insert the thermometer probe from the side to ensure an accurate reading.

“ Ground beef, lamb, veal, pork and game meats should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

“ Cook chicken and turkey breasts to 170 degrees.

“ Turn hamburger patties frequently during grilling to ensure even cooking.

“ Rinse the spatula and thermometer under hot running water for 5 seconds and wipe with a clean paper towel between uses.

Farm apprenticeships offered

Spend the summer picking blueberries in Laclede, Idaho, harvesting organic vegetables and flowers in Sandpoint or sheering sheep in Harvard, Idaho. Or learn about cattle in Colfax or vegetables, fruit and grapes in Colton, Wash.

The Cultivating Success Program is offering apprenticeships for hands-on work at area farms and ranches. The program is open to community members for continuing education credits and it is offered though the University of Idaho and Washington State University. The apprenticeships are designed to be flexible enough for people who are working and those with families or farm responsibilities. The apprentice and farmer work together to decide the time commitment and compensation that works best.

For more information or an application go to www.cultivatingsuccess.org or contact program coordinator Theresa Beaver at tbeaver@uidaho.edu or (208) 885-7787.