9 Food Safety Mistakes To Avoid at Your Next Holiday Gathering
Feasts are all part of the season’s fun, but bad food handling habits can lead to you and your guests falling sick.
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Feasts and parties are all part of celebrating through the holiday season. However, bad habits when handling food can lead to friends and family falling ill during this joyous time. Whether you’re hosting a holiday gathering at home or bringing food for a potluck, below are food safety mistakes to avoid to keep everyone happy and healthy.
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Don’t taste raw batters with flour.
Although flour may seem like a harmless food, most flour is raw. This means it hasn’t been treated to destroy harmful germs that can lead to food poisoning, like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella. These harmful bacteria can contaminate the grain while it’s still in the field or when the flour is being made. Grinding and bleaching flour doesn’t kill these harmful germs and can end up in your flour or baking mixes when you purchase them at the market. If you eat unbaked dough or cookie batter made with flour containing these harmful bacteria, it can make you sick. These bacteria will only be killed off when flour is baked or cooked.
Don’t transport food in paper or plastic bags.
If you’re heading to a host’s home for a holiday party or potluck, cooked foods or other perishable foods should remain outside of the temperature “danger zone,” which is a range of temperatures where bacteria grows the fastest in food. The danger zone for perishable foods is between 40-degrees and 140-degrees Fahrenheit. Transport perishable food in covered containers to prevent contamination. Hot food should be kept at about 135-degrees Fahrenheit. An insulated container should be used to keep foods hot during transportation. Cold foods should be kept below 41-degrees Fahrenheit. Use a cooler with ice or gel packs to keep the food cold during transit. If you’re unable to get the food to your destination at the correct temperature, then bring food that doesn’t need any time control such as a nice loaf of bread, cookies or cakes.
Don’t only use visual cues to determine if meat or poultry is done.
You can’t really determine whether ham or chicken is cooked appropriately only through visual cues. Instead, use a thermometer, which is the most accurate way to measure that the minimum internal cooking temperature has been met. When taking the temperature of food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that the thermometer penetrate the thickest part of the food such as the center of a casserole or meatloaf.
Don’t rinse meat or poultry before cooking.
Whether you’re preparing ham, chicken, roast or any other type of meat and poultry, the meat should not be rinsed before being cooked. USDA research has found that washing or rinsing meat or poultry increases the risk for cross-contamination in the kitchen, which can potentially lead to foodborne illness.
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Don’t thaw your meat, poultry or fish at room temperature.
Thawing food at room temperature provides the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to grow and thrive. And cooking won’t necessarily destroy all these harmful germs in your food. Your best bet is to thaw large pieces of meat, poultry or fish in the refrigerator a day or two before you plan on cooking it. You can also thaw smaller pieces of meat, poultry or fish under cool running water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Don’t use unpasteurized eggs for recipes containing raw eggs.
If you’re making eggnog, Caesar salad dressing or Hollandaise sauce using raw, unpasteurized eggs, you may want to think again. Raw and lightly cooked eggs can make your loved ones sick as they can contain Salmonella. If you choose to make any recipes using raw eggs, only use pasteurized eggs that have been heat-treated to destroy harmful microorganisms. Pasteurized eggs can be found in the egg aisle at your local market.
Don’t allow leftovers to stay at room temperature for more than two hours.
Leftover food typically sits at room temperature, which is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and thrive to levels that can potentially make you and your guests sick. It’s recommended to store leftovers for no more than two hours if the temperature is less than 90-degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is over 90-degrees Fahrenheit, then leftovers can sit out for a maximum of one hour. If the time limit has lapsed, the food should be tossed out.
Don’t keep leftovers for weeks.
How long do those leftovers last? Definetely not several weeks, even in the refrigerator. Harmful bacteria that may have found its way into your leftovers can grow slowly in the refrigerator and possibly make you sick. For holiday leftovers, the maximum storage time is up to four days. You can opt to cook and store extra food in your freezer. Use a freezer-safe container or plastic bag and store cooled leftovers in the freezer for up to two months.
Don’t prepare food if you’re sick.
If you or someone in your home is sick, do not prepare food for a gathering. Although you may enjoy sharing home cooked recipes, you may end up also sharing your illness. Wait until you or your family member is well again to cook your next potluck dish.
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