Will cooking raw spinach kill E. coli?
It will, but there is danger in handling the raw spinach prior to cooking. For example, the disease-causing E. coli can get on your hands, your utensils, your cutting knives and subsequently be ingested. Regarding this outbreak, what precautions should people take? For example, should people wash all fresh raw vegetables/salads before consuming? Produce should always be washed before consumption and care should be taken not to use the same utensils in preparing uncooked foods that have been used with uncooked meat. However, sometimes the contamination is within the plant, not just on the surface and so washing may not be enough. For the current outbreak, specific brands of raw spinach have been identified. If you have one of these brands, it should be discarded immediately. Any general advice to the average person about the risk of E. coli and how to avoid contracting it? All ground beef should be cooked until the middle reaches a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (well done or unt