Why You Should Freeze Filet Américain
We prefer to make the tastiest filet américain—or, as they call it in Belgium, filet préparé—ourselves. But of course, you can also buy it at the supermarket. If you decide to buy a tub of filet américain at the supermarket, from now on it’s best to freeze it first, according to the RIVM following research, and here’s why:
Parasites
The popular spread for bread (some people won’t eat it without a fresh glass of juice alongside it) consists mainly of raw meat. And raw meat is not equally safe for everyone to eat. Pregnant women, for example, and people with weakened immune systems would be better off spreading peanut butter on their sandwich than filet américain. Every year, several hundred people still become ill from eating raw meat, such as filet américain, because of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite it contains. A Toxoplasma infection can lead to miscarriages, premature births and congenital brain and eye abnormalities, so it’s certainly something to take seriously!
Freezing
To avoid getting sick from raw meat, it is generally recommended to wash your hands regularly while preparing it or, of course, to heat it thoroughly in a pan or oven. But we’re not exactly waiting for a sandwich with cooked filet. Fortunately, there is another way to kill the parasites—and that is freezing.
An important piece of advice, according to the RIVM. The RIVM investigated how contamination in high-risk types of meat such as filet can be prevented. Freezing it for at least 48 hours at a temperature of -12 degrees kills the parasite, so you can eat a sandwich with filet américain without worry. Not only hamburgers, but filet américain should also be frozen before it goes to the supermarket, the RIVM reports. Since this is not (yet) happening, we will do it at home from now on.
Also read:
