Due to the many food issues during the holiday season
we have decided to publish some holiday food tips:
The holiday season is always a time when many people experience food poisoning. Our department would like to help all the people out there worried about their food safety to try and avoid this painful experience. In the next few paragraphs this page will address some common and new holiday food issues. For further information feel free to follow the links at the bottom of this page.
General Food Safety Tips for Safe Holiday Eating
(from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment):
- Thaw foods in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. Also don't forget to allow enough time for the food to thaw in the refrigerator (e.g. 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey or ham)
- Use a meat thermometer. Turkey and stuffing should be cooked thoroughly to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and ham to at least 155 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
- Recipes requiring eggs must be cooked thoroughly to at least 140 degrees.
- If cooking a turkey, cook stuffing outside of the bird for optimum safety and uniform doneness. If the turkey is stuffed, allow approximately five minutes extra per pound longer for cooking. Remember that the center of the stuffing must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If egg dishes do not require cooking, such as homemade eggnog, use pasteurized egg substitutes instead of shell eggs.
- Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water before food preparation and after handling raw meat products.
- Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible to prevent bacterial growth. Place foods containing meat, milk, eggs, fish or poultry in the refrigerator within four hours after cooking is completed. This includes pumpkin and custard pies.
- Thoroughly clean and sanitize knives, cutting boards and other utensils before and after preparing raw foods and foods that do not require further cooking. A sanitizing solution can be prepared using one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.
- Thoroughly wash all fresh fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating.
Keep your children safe from Foodborne Ilnesses
(info from Food Safety Inspection Service):
- Holiday Buffet Rules:
- Serve hot foods (e.g. turkey, ham, meatballs) at a hot temperature and serve them frequently.
- Cold foods (e.g. chicken salad, potato salad) should be kept and served cold.
- Any perishable foods on the buffet table that are not served with a hot source (such as chafing dishes or slow cookers) or cold source (such as by nesting serving dishes in bowls of ice) should be discarded after two hours at room temperature.
- Risky Foods:
- Foods that contain raw eggs or lightly cooked eggs (e.g. Don't let your child eat the self-made raw batter of cookie dough because if it contains raw egg it may contain Salmonella)
- Commercial eggnog is pasturized, meaning it has been heated at a high enough temperature to kill bacteria that may have been present in raw ingredients.
- When making your own eggnog make sure to use a recipe that calls for slowly heating the mixture to 160 ºF, which will maintain the taste and texture while also killing bacteria.
- Follow these four USDA recommended steps to Food Safety:
- Clean. Wash hands and surfaces often.
- Separate. Separate raw meat, poultry, and egg products from cooked foods to avoid cross contamination.
- Cook. Raw meat, poultry, and egg products need to be cooked thoroughly. Use a food thermometer to ensure foods have reached a high enough temperature to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present.
- Chill. Store leftovers within two hours of cooking.
Simple Turkey Preperation Tips
(from the Food Safety Inspection Service):
- Plan your menu ahead of time, so you that you may reduce anxiety by knowing which ingredients to purchase.
- If you buy a fresh turkey, make sure you purchase it 1-2 days before cooking.
- Do not buy a prestuffed fresh turkey.
- Thawing Tips:
- Try to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator (40 °F).
Allow approximately 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey.
- If you forget to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator you can thaw it in cold water. Allow about 30 minutes of defrosting time per turkey and make sure to change the water every 30 minutes.
- Microwave thawing is safe if the turkey is not too large. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for the size turkey that will fit into your oven, the minutes per pound, and the power level to use for thawing. Cook immediately after thawing.
- Prepearation Tips:
- Use a meat thermometer. The temperature in the thigh should be 180 °F. The temperature in the rest of the bird should be no less than 160 °F. The temperature of the stuffing should be 165 °F no matter if it was inside or outside of the bird.
Also, if you are planning on ordering food through the mail please follow this link for further information on this topic:
|
