In the upcoming Eid al-Adha, it is necessary to heed the advice of experts at many stages, from cooking, consuming and storing meat. Stating that the meat should be cooled quickly below 7 degrees Celsius after slaughter against possible bacteria risk, experts point out the importance of cooking methods. Noting that frying should be avoided, boiling and grilling methods should be preferred, experts say that meat should be consumed with vegetables, not alone. Experts emphasize that hygiene rules should be strictly followed.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü made suggestions on cooking, consumption and storage of sacrificial meat for the upcoming Eid al-Adha.
How should sacrificial meat be cooked?
"Beef meat can be contaminated during skinning and evisceration in slaughterhouses," warned Özden Örkçü, "Bacteria that pass from the surface to the interior during the shredding and mincing of meat maintain their viability in the absence of adequate heat treatment and pose a significant risk to public health. As a preventive measure, meat should be cooled rapidly below 7ºC after slaughter. Adequate cooking can be achieved especially when the heat treatment applied to this type of food is 70ºC and above all over the product (including the center), the pink color of the meat disappears and turns gray-brown and the meat juice is completely removed."
Cooking at high temperatures causes carcinogenic effect
Stating that attention should be paid to cooking methods as well as the amount of meat consumption during Eid al-Adha, Özden Örkçü said, "Methods such as boiling and grilling should be preferred for cooking meat, and frying should be avoided. Cooking and frying at very high temperatures for a long time should not be preferred as it may cause the formation of various "carcinogenic substances". Cooking or consuming meats with vegetables rather than alone is a healthy method in terms of providing nutritional diversity."
Özden Örkçü said, "High heat suddenly solidifies the proteins on the surface and the heat cannot reach the inside of the meat. For this reason, the internal temperature of the meat should be at least 70 ºC-75 ºC. Very high heat causes the outer surface of the meat to burn and water loss to be high, increasing the loss of nutrients."
Pay attention to cleanliness against the risk of infection
"Meat should never be consumed raw or undercooked," said Özden Örkçü, "It should be kept in mind that some zoonotic diseases are transmitted by eating raw or undercooked meat. In order to prevent the spread of infection, it should be ensured that especially children wash their hands properly with soap after using the toilet, before eating, after contact with farm animals and raw foods. Personal hygiene rules should not be neglected during the slaughtering of animals, skinning, dismemberment of the carcass, transportation, preservation, cooking and consumption of meat."
People with chronic diseases should be careful
Özden Örkçü noted that the consumption of sugar and sugary foods as well as meat consumption increased during the Feast of Sacrifice and said, "Especially people with obesity (obesity), high blood pressure, cardiovascular, stomach and diabetes (diabetes) should pay more attention to their nutrition."
Fresh meat is difficult to digest
Noting that fresh meat is difficult to digest, Özden Örkçü listed his recommendations as follows:
"Meats are foods that are difficult to digest. The hardness in the meat of freshly slaughtered animals causes difficulty in both cooking and digestion.
For this reason, especially people with gastrointestinal diseases should not consume sacrificial meat immediately, it is better for health to consume it by cooking it by boiling or grilling after waiting in the refrigerator for a few days.
Since fatty meats have a higher saturated fat and cholesterol content, people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure should prefer lean or low-fat meats during Eid al-Adha, consume in limited quantities and not overdo it."
How should sacrificial meat be stored?
Reminding that the preservation and storage of slaughtered meat is very important for health, Özden Örkçü said, "The sacrificial meat should be cut into small pieces, not in large pieces, but in small pieces for one meal, wrapped in a refrigerator bag or greaseproof paper and stored in the freezer or deep freezer of the refrigerator. Meat prepared in this way can be stored in the freezer at -2 degrees for a few weeks and in the deep freezer at -18 degrees for a longer period of time."
Thawed meat should be cooked immediately
"Meats are potentially risky foods that can easily spoil," said Özden Örkçü and added: "Thawing meat again after freezing creates a breeding environment for some "microorganisms" and this threatens our health. Thawed meat should be cooked immediately and should not be frozen again. The meat should be thawed in the lower compartment of the refrigerator, "not left uncovered at room temperature". Meat stored in the deep freezer can be placed on top of the crisper section of the refrigerator to thaw. Methods such as thawing on the heater, stove, waiting at room temperature, which are applied for the purpose of quick thawing of meat, bring dangerous consequences for human health."
