Cook

Dear Epic Failure,

My dad was cooking hamburgers and cheeseburgers for our family. We were having swiss burgers. My dad kept coming back inside every minute to see who was winning in a football game Patriots vs Falcons. My dad cooked them for only four minutes. When my dad bit into one, the burgers were a little pink on the inside, so he thought they were done. He finished up cooking the burgers and he and my mom called us down to eat. While we were eating the burgers, I started to feel very sick. The burgers were delicious, but we are really sick now. What did my dad do wrong? -Poisoning in PA

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/11/dear-aht-sick-of-undercooked-burgers.html

http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/e-coli-and-capitalism/

Dear Poisoning in PA,

Your father didn't fully cook the burgers. They still contain e-coli bacteria. E-coli is food borne illness. It can sometimes cause Kidney failure and even death. It can be found in undercooked meats, unpasturised milk and juice, and others. The Incubation period (how long it takes for the illness to build up before you start to show symptoms) is 1-8 days. Symptoms include: severe diarrhea that is often bloody, abdominal pains, vomiting, and usually little or no fever is present. The length of illness is usually 5-10 days. Hamburgers should always be cooked to an end temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Hamburgers should also be cooked long enough to kill the bacteria.

Dear Epic Failure,

My best friend, Benjamin, cooked chicken for me and some other friends over at his house on his dad's new grill over the weekend.