During the holidays, one of the most often prepared recipes is turkey and stuffing. This tradition is delicious, but fraught with potential problems, especially for beginning cooks. Clemson University offers tips on how to prepare this type of recipe and how to serve safe turkey and stuffing. Most food safety experts recommend that you do not stuff your turkey. If the stuffing isn't completely cooked to 165°F it can contain live pathogenic bacteria, since the turkey acts as an insulator and it's difficult to heat the stuffing in the very center. This may disappoint people, since stuffing cooked inside the bird is moist and well flavored from the turkey itself. But you can replicate that taste and texture by simply drizzling turkey stock over the dressing in a casserole, and … [Read more...]
Get Holiday Food Safety Tips From the FDA
It's the holiday season, which means that people are cooking more and hosting parties and gatherings. But this may be the first time cooking for a large group for you. In that case, these holiday food safety tips from the FDA will help. If you don't understand food safety, the risk that someone will get sick from how you handle food increases. The possibility of cross-contamination, undercooked, and improper chilling and reheating exists every time you are in the kitchen. Learning these rules is especially important if you have anyone at your gathering who is at higher risk for serious complications from food poisoning, including the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems. It's important to know the four basic food … [Read more...]
Holiday Food Safety Tips From the CDC
These holiday food safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will help you celebrate and stay safe and healthy. Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanza and New Years celebrations typically involve large meals and lots of entertaining. These gatherings warrant special food safety knowledge. Serving a large group of people brings inherent risk. First of all, large quantities of food, especially foods like gravies, can easily be contaminated with bacteria like Clostridium perfringens, which grows in anaerobic environments, like the centers of large batches of food. This pathogen produces a toxin that makes you sick. So it's imperative that you divide large batches of food into small, shallow containers after serving and refrigerate them as soon as possible. And … [Read more...]
Holiday Food Safety Tips From the FDA Keep You Healthy
The FDA is offering holiday food safety tips to keep you and your family healthy this time of year. Keeping the food you make and serve safe is especially important in the time of the pandemic, since you don't want to get food poisoning and need medical attention right now. You will find a holiday food safety video at the link that will show you how to store, prepare, and serve food safely to avoid illness. There are four simple steps to make sure your foods are safe: clean, separate, cook, and chill. First, start with clean hands, cutting boards, and utensils. Clean with warm water and soap and disinfect surfaces. Then, use different cutting boards for different types of food, for instance, raw meat and poultry and fresh produce. Cook foods thoroughly according to food safety … [Read more...]
Planning Holiday Gatherings During the Pandemic? The CDC Has Tips
If you are planning holiday gatherings during the pandemic, the CDC has some timely tips. Right now, the coronavirus is spreading uncontrolled through most of the United States. Scientists were afraid this would happen as people got tired of social distancing and started to spend more time indoors. First of all, celebrating virtually is the safest way to spend the holidays. Only socialize with people in your household - that is, anyone who currently lives and shares common spaces in your home. Anyone who doesn't currently live with ou, including college students who are coming home for the holidays, are considered from other households. Second, if you are having and in-person holiday event, there are some things to this about. If the community levels of COVID-19 in your location, … [Read more...]
Giving Food for Christmas? Get These Meal Kit Food Safety Tips
Meal kits, mail-order food, and home-delivered groceries are very popular gifts this time of year. If you are giving one of these gifts to someone, there are some meal kit food safety tips you need to know from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Perishable foods always need to stay at a safe temperature to prevent bacterial growth that could make someone sick. I have personal experience with this: [Editor's note: I ordered cheese fondue from a company recently and it was not delivered with an ice pack or in an insulated container, but in a regular cardboard box. I threw it away.] Here's what you need to know about meal kit food safety tips. Always ask questions about the company's food safety standards. If you are buying for someone who is in a high risk group … [Read more...]
