Please don’t tell me you’re still enjoying Thanksgiving Day leftovers.
On any given day, 350 people are hospitalized for food-borne illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the holidays, the risk goes up for a number of reasons.
More people in the house for a holiday visit can mean more chaos in the kitchen.
“It’s very easy to cross-contaminate food this time of year, especially with so many cooks in the kitchen,” says Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. More people handling food and the utensils used in preparation (then maybe petting the family dog or popping in to help after throwing a football around outside) increases the chances bad bacteria can sneak into favorite family recipes.
Vigilant hand-washing before, during and after food prep should be a holiday tradition, and Weinandy suggests, “If you need help in the kitchen, make sure people are in charge of specific duties, so you can limit contact during food preparation.”
Holiday food safety gift ideas: a meat thermometer to help cook meats to proper internal temperature for safe and succulent roasts and whole birds. Color-coded cutting boards are pretty and a pretty good idea, too, to prevent cross-contamination — green for fresh veggies, red for raw meats and blue for seafood.
Larger batches of foods than usual for big holiday buffets mean more safety rules go into effect. Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours and stored in shallow containers, no more than 2 inches deep, so they cool more quickly.
Holiday food safety gift idea: A refrigerator thermometer will help you confirm the fridge temp is safely below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
When in doubt, throw it out
The scents of fresh pine, cinnamon and holiday cookies may be the aromas of the season, but don’t trust your nose to sniff out whether holiday leftovers are still safe to eat. Bacteria can be present at dangerous levels even before the food starts to spoil. Refrigerated leftovers should be eaten within three or four days; frozen foods within four months.
With folks in town for holiday gatherings, more are dining out as well. Whether it’s lunch while shopping or a dinner to celebrate the season — leftovers from restaurants should be handled with care.
CiCi Williamson, food safety specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, says, “Don’t ask for a doggy bag and then drive all over town on other errands. It may be cold outside in the winter, but bacteria thrive inside a warm car.”
Williamson says make sure to heat leftovers to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, stir in the middle of heating and cover to heat more evenly. Soups, sauces and gravies should be brought to rolling boil.
Holiday food safety gift idea: an instant-read food thermometer to check temperature of all cooked foods.
So enjoy festive meals but be smart about food safety during the often-hectic holiday season.
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