HOLIDAY FOOD SAFETY REMINDER
With the bustle of the holidays, people sometimes need a reminder to practice good health and safety measures in order to keep the “happy” in the season. With all there is to do, we may be tempted to take shortcuts in an effort to save time. But when it comes to food preparation, it is important to keep health and safety in the forefront if we do not want to become one of the unfortunate 9 million people who suffer from food-borne illness each year.
Preventing food-borne illness can be as simple as following four basic steps: clean, separate, cook, and chill. The first step refers to hygiene; cleanliness is extremely important in preventing food-borne illness. All surfaces, cutting boards, utensils, and dishes should be washed often with hot, soapy water.
Personal cleanliness is also a must for food safety. Hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds in hot, soapy water before and after preparing food. It is especially important to wash hands after preparing meat, poultry, eggs, or seafood, and after using the bathroom or changing diapers, and after handling pets.
The second step in preparing a safe holiday meal is to separate foods and utensils. Different clean plates, pans, cutting boards and utensils should be used for raw and cooked meats. It is preferable to use separate cutting boards and utensils for produce and meat, poultry and seafood products. And cooked food should never be placed on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, eggs, or seafood. Bacteria, parasites, and other germs can contaminate hands, cutting boards, plates, and utensils, and can be transferred easily to any surface that is touched.
Of course, proper cooking of foods is another requirement in avoiding food poisoning. Many families share the tradition of serving turkey or some form of fowl as the focal point of the holiday feast. The first point to remember is to never thaw poultry (or any meat) on the counter. At room temperature, bacteria grow rapidly and can rise to levels so high that even cooking might not destroy it all. Plan well in advance so the turkey can defrost in the refrigerator (about 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey-- 4 or 5 days for a 20 pound bird.) It is also safe to defrost the bird by submerging it in a deep sink of cold water (still in its original wrapper), and changing the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. (Allow 30
minutes per pound to defrost in this manner.) Once the turkey or other poultry has thawed, keep in mind the following points:
·
Do not stuff the turkey
(or chicken) the night before--even though the bird is refrigerated, its cavity
actually insulates the stuffing from the cold and allows harmful bacteria to
thrive.
·
Cooking and serving the
stuffing outside of the turkey is a safe alternative, but for those who do not
wish to break with tradition, stuffing the bird immediately before cooking and
then cooking the turkey completely will kill harmful bacteria.
·
Use a meat thermometer
to determine when the turkey is done.
Place the thermometer in the meatiest part of the thigh--the bird is
fully cooked when the temperature registers 180°F and the
juices run clear.
·
Avoid cooking the turkey
overnight at low temperatures (below 325°F) because bacteria
can continue to grow when the internal temperature of the bird remains between
40° and 140°F for too long. Roast the turkey at 325°F for 15-18 minutes per pound in unstuffed birds, and 18-24 minutes per
pound in stuffed birds.
·
Do not use brown paper
bags from the grocery store for cooking your turkey. The ink and glue on these bags may give off harmful fumes. In addition, brown grocery store bags are
often made from recycled materials and are not sanitary. If you prefer cooking your turkey in a bag,
use a commercial oven bag designed for this purpose.
Of course, not everyone will serve poultry, and even for those who do, there are other items that must be cooked properly to be safe. All meat needs to be cooked thoroughly; use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is hot enough to kill bacteria (180°F for whole poultry, 170°F for chicken breasts, 160°F for pork, and 145°F for beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops.) Always cook eggs (the yolk and the white) until they are firm. When making homemade eggnog, frozen egg substitutes work well in place of raw eggs.
After cleanliness, separation, and cooking concerns have been taken care of, the final step in practicing safe food handling is to chill. During the food preparation process, fresh produce needs to be refrigerated within 2 hours of peeling or cutting. Cold foods must be stored at a temperature of 40°F or lower. Once the meal is cooked, it is important to keep hot foods hot – at least 140°F or warmer after cooking. This can be accomplished by placing the food in a 200°F oven, chafing dish, slow cooker, or warming tray once everyone has been served. However, the general rule is that foods need to be refrigerated within 2 hours of removal from the heat source. Food borne bacteria can double every 20 minutes if left in the danger zone, 40°F - 140°F. When the meal is over, be sure to wrap and store the left over food in the refrigerator right away. And when it’s time to eat those leftovers, keep in mind that
stuffing and gravy can be refrigerated safely for 2
days and cooked turkey and vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator for 4
days (or frozen for storage up to 4-6 months).
And always reheat meat to 165°F.
If food is not refrigerated within the safe time limits, it should be discarded. When it comes to food safety, a good adage to keep in mind is “if in doubt, throw it out”.
·
By exercising caution, the holidays can be a safe and enjoyable time for everyone. The Central Connecticut Health District wishes everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.