With the beginning of the holiday season comes gatherings centered around delicious and anticipated food. Let the focus be enjoying social interactions and tasty morsels of food and not about getting sick from foodborne illnesses. Below is a list of reminders to keep food safe during the hecticness of the holiday season.
• Start with clean hands – wash with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling any food. Not only does this reduce the spread of bacteria, but it is also key to not spreading harmful viruses since viruses are not killed by heating food.
• Shopping and storing food – transport cold food in cooler with ice and place immediately in refrigerator or freezer upon arriving at home; keep food which will not be cooked away from raw eggs, meat, poultry or seafood when shopping or bagging; store eggs, meat, poultry or seafood towards the bottom of the refrigerator to prevent juices from dripping on foods which will not be cooked before eating such as vegetables and other ready to eat foods.
• Use a thermometer to be sure meat, poultry and fish are cooked to a safe internal temperature. The temperatures for poultry, including ground and bread stuffing, are 165 degrees F, ground beef, pork and lamb (160 degrees F), egg dishes (160 degrees F), beef, lamb and veal roasts and chops (145 degrees F for 3 minutes) and pork and ham (145 degrees F for 3 minutes).
• If holding foods waiting to be served, after they have been cooked to the proper internal temperature, keep hot food at 140 degrees F or higher and cold foods at 40 degrees F or lower. Keep cold foods cold by using ice or putting out smaller portions at a time. Bacteria grow most rapidly between 40 and 140° F. The less time the food is kept out of this temperature danger zone, the better. Keep in mind you cannot taste, see or smell bacteria which is why it so dangerous.
• Cooling leftovers and refrigerating them within two hours is important to prevent harmful bacteria growth. Large portions or deep pans of food will not cool quickly enough by putting them directly in the refrigerator. They can be quickly cooled by splitting leftovers into smaller portions and/or in shallow dishes and then refrigerated. Leftovers which set out for several hours at room temperature should be discarded.
• Use leftovers within three to four days or freeze them immediately.
These reminders are not just for the holidays. Keep them in mind all year long.
To learn more, contact Janell at the Chouteau County Extension Office at 622-3036, janellb@montana.edu or in the green building next to the Chouteau County Courthouse at 1308 Franklin St in Fort Benton.
Follow us on Facebook @ChouteauCountyExtension to keep up to date on what is happening in Chouteau County Extension and 4-H.
Montana State University, US Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.
