![\"Cooked](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/cooked-burgers.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAdding medium cooked burgers to your menu is a great way to attract new diners. You may even end up being one of the few local places that serve them, meaning all the burger enthusiasts pick you over the competition.<\/p>\n
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However, you are not legally permitted to serve medium-rare burgers in your food premises unless you follow certain food safety practices. These requirements are necessary for making undercooked beef safe for consumption.<\/p>\n
You may be wondering why you can serve beef steaks rare with a lower risk of food poisoning than beef burgers (which require more rigorous rules). It\u2019s to do with the differences between how steak and burger meat is processed before cooking.<\/p>\n
On whole cuts of beef, bacterial contamination (such as E.coli) is usually only present on the outside<\/strong>. That\u2019s why it’s safe to cook a steak rare without too much treatment of the beef, as long as you sear the outer layer thoroughly.<\/p>\n However, because you make burger patties from ground beef, any bacteria present on the surface mixes with and contaminates the rest of the meat<\/strong> during the mincing process<\/strong>. So, unless you or your supplier prepares the meat in a particular way beforehand, you need to cook burgers all the way through to kill any bacteria or reduce them to a safe minimum.<\/p>\n If there are poor hygiene practices during the rearing and slaughtering preparation processes, deeper contamination of beef may even occur before it reaches your premises.Unless you use reputable suppliers and prepare the meat safely, medium cooked burgers and steaks both have the potential to cause food poisoning.<\/p>\n Our Food Hygiene Training<\/a> is designed to ensure a comprehensive knowledge of all food safety and hygiene procedures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Food Standards Agency (FSA) used to recommend that you always cook burgers all the way through, but they have recently released advice for food business operators who want to serve undercooked beef burgers. However, the FSA still advises that you thoroughly cook pork, chicken, and other meats used for burgers.<\/p>\n The FSA states that it is unacceptable to serve medium cooked burgers unless \u201ca validated and verified food safety management plan is applied\u201d<\/strong>. They will permit your food business to serve undercooked beef burgers if you can demonstrate that you are controlling risks in ways other than cooking the meat all the way through.<\/p>\n You must meet the following legal requirements to sell medium cooked burgers:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n To prepare medium cooked burgers, you must purchase beef from suppliers who the FSA approves to provide meat for medium cooked consumption. You need to prove to your local authority that your supplier has specific and sufficient hygiene controls in place during the slaughter, cutting, and\/or mincing process for beef intended to be undercooked.<\/p>\n If you purchase minced beef from an approved supplier, you shouldn’t need to apply further treatment to the meat in your food premises. However, good food hygiene practices are still necessary in order to prevent recontamination. You need to store the minced beef separate from other meat and use separate utensils and equipment.<\/p>\n However, if you are mincing whole cuts of beef on-site for burgers you won\u2019t cook thoroughly, you must follow the sear and shave process discussed below.<\/p>\n Before you can mince whole cuts of beef to make medium cooked burgers, you have to remove the surface bacteria. The most suitable method for doing so is known as sear and shave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The first step is to cook the top of the beef at a high temperature to kill the surface bacteria. Then, shave off the cooked part and mince the remaining raw meat. Or, if you\u2019re happy with a mixture that has cooked parts, you can skip the shaving step and mince the cooked and uncooked meat.<\/p>\n After a suitable searing and shaving process, your cuts of beef are ready for preparing medium cooked burgers.<\/p>\n If your food business serves medium cooked beef burgers (or uses other animal produce raw, such as raw eggs in Caesar dressing) you need to display a consumer advisory <\/strong>in a visible location for guests to read.<\/p>\n Display the advisory in full on your menu and on the premises. Or, state clearly that you can give this information to guests upon request.<\/p>\n Consumer advisories help guests use their discretion when deciding whether to order a medium cooked burger, particularly if they are, or are dining with, a vulnerable person.<\/p>\n You need to notify your local authority before you begin serving medium cooked burgers, so they can assess your proposed\u00a0HACCP<\/a>-based procedures to make rare burgers safe.<\/p>\n If any changes happen regarding the sourcing and preparation of the beef you use for medium cooked burgers, update your local authority immediately.<\/p>\n Adding medium burgers to your menu can incite significant change. To ensure you can store and prepare undercooked beef safely, it requires a new food safety development plan, a new supplier, and in some cases new or refurbished premises, new staff, or further training. The process is a lot of effort, but it\u2019s worth it if you\u2019re confident you can carry it out safely.<\/p>\n Less than thoroughly cooked burgers are a rising trend. Follow our food safety advice for serving medium cooked burgers in your establishment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":28914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[700,773],"class_list":["post-19756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-hygiene","tag-food-safety","tag-hospitality"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n![\"expert](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/expert-tip-icon.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/div>\nNeed a Course?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nSafe Production of Medium Cooked Burgers<\/h2>\n
\nBuy beef from suppliers with sufficient hygiene controls.<\/h3>\n
![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/raw-beef.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe supplier should be able to prove that they:<\/h4>\n
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\nUse a safe process to remove surface bacteria.<\/h3>\n
![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/searing-and-shaving-beef.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHere are some tips for safe searing and shaving:<\/h3>\n
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\nProvide customers with information about risks.<\/h3>\n
![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/ground-beef.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYou should include the following in your consumer advisory:<\/h4>\n
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\nNotify and update your local authority.<\/h3>\n
![\"Cooking](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/medium-cooked-burger.jpg\")
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\nWhat to Read Next:<\/h3>\n
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