Samgyetang eaten on the hottest day of summer, is it healthier if you make it yourself? Beware of 'this'

Most cases of food poisoning caused by eating poultry dishes such as samgyetang, jjimdak, and duck soup are due to Campylobacter bacteria. Campylobacter is a bacteria commonly found in the internal organs of poultry such as chicken and duck, as well as in rodents like mice and rabbits, and wild birds. It can easily be transferred to meat during the slaughtering process. The bacteria, which are commonly present in poultry intestines, can cause food poisoning if dishes like samgyetang and jjimdak are not fully cooked or if cross-contamination occurs during preparation, such as chicken washing or contact with other ingredients or utensils. When too many chickens are cooked together in a pot that is not large enough, uneven cooking can occur, or if chickens are added late and not cooked properly, eating undercooked chicken can lead to food poisoning.

To make safe and healthy Samgyetang, special attention must be paid to hygiene during the raw chicken preparation process. When preparing ingredients, hands that have handled raw chicken must be thoroughly washed with soap or other cleaning agents before touching other ingredients. When washing raw chicken, be careful to prevent splashing water from contaminating other ingredients or cooking utensils. Knives, cutting boards, and other tools used for handling raw chicken should be used separately, and if separate use is difficult, they should be thoroughly washed or disinfected each time the ingredients are changed.

 

The order of handling ingredients is important. When preparing Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), ingredients should be prepared in the order of grains, vegetables, and raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination. For dishes like steamed chicken, it is safer to boil the raw chicken in hot water once before cleaning it. During cooking, the appropriate amount should be prepared considering the size of the heating container. Stir the ingredients such as chicken evenly to ensure they are cooked uniformly, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 75°C for at least one minute to ensure the chicken is fully cooked. Leftover raw chicken after cooking should be stored in the refrigerator. When storing in the refrigerator, place the raw chicken in an airtight container to prevent its blood from contaminating other foods, and store it in the lowest compartment of the refrigerator.