Wednesday, 27 September 2006 - 10:37 AM EDT
Name:
"Catinka Knoth"
Home Page:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0910
Someone's googling for 'spinach pressure cooker ecoli' apparently led them here. I just did the same search and found a good piece of info on handling spinach, at the link above. Scroll down the page there and you will find this:....."Posted by annie1992 Z5 MI (My Page) onMon, Sep 18, 06 at 15:20No Jessica, that is incorrect. The e coli CAN be dealt with by cooking. Here is the current information from the CDC and FDA.The following advice for consumers is posted on the CDC's web site:Currently, the FDA's advice is to not eat any fresh spinach or salad blends containing fresh spinach that are consumed raw.E. coli O157:H7 in spinach can be killed by cooking at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. (Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.) If spinach is cooked in a frying pan, and all parts do not reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit, all bacteria may not be killed. If consumers choose to cook the spinach, they should avoid cross-contamination of the fresh spinach with other foods and food contact surfaces, and wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling the spinach.Persons who develop diarrhea after consuming fresh spinach or salad blends containing fresh spinach are urged to contact their health care provider and ask that their stool specimen be tested for E. coli O157:H7.Persons who ate fresh spinach or salad blends and feel well do not need to see a health care provider.Just cook the darned stuff to 160 F and it's fine. Pressure canned spinach is cooked at higher temps than that, so it can be safely canned.Annie" .................and I (Catinka) say frozen spinach is not a problem because a) it hasn't turned up yet as a problem and b) it is presumed that it gets cooked before eating.