Keep Your Holiday Foods Safe

— Written By Lethia Lee and last updated by Patricia Burch
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Sometimes I wonder what happened to doing things right during the holidays.

I know things get hectic, but many of us seem to “throw caution to the wind” when it comes to food safety. During the upcoming holidays, you’ll have many opportunities to enjoy food, so please keep food safety in mind.

This should be especially true when entertaining. Some of your guests may have special needs. Remember that the young, the elderly, pregnant, and immune-suppressed may be more susceptible to getting a foodborne illness. Don’t take risk with their health by serving potentially dangerous foods such as raw eggs, raw fish, undercooked poultry, or rare ground beef. Think about alternative foods or recipes that may be safer. Just because it’s a holiday and your time is full does not mean that the” two-hour rule “isn’t in effect. Food should not be allowed to sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Two hours is enough time for bacteria to multiply to the quantity that could cause foodborne illness. This is cumulative too. If you leave the leftovers on the dinning room table for one hour, then later leave them out on the counter for 30 minutes to make sandwiches, you will only have a half-hour window left. If you can’t keep cold foods below 41°F or hot foods above 135°F, plan to replace them with fresh at least every two hours.

Here are a few basic things to keep in mind:

Wash your hands frequently when preparing and serving food.

Get food into the refrigerator as soon as possible after a meal.

Don’t put potentially-hazardous food in the garbage, porch or sunroom. While these areas may feel cool, they may not keep food below 41°F. Some cut fruits and vegetables (including sliced tomatoes, leafy greens, and melons) fall into that category too.

Use small serving dishes on buffet lines. When that dish is empty, then replace it with another small dish of the same food instead of setting out the entire bowl or mixing fresh foods in with the old.

Take care with deserts that contain potentially hazardous foods such as whipped cream, custard, creamy cheese, and eggs. Keep these foods in the refrigerator below 41 degrees.

A little care and planning ahead can make this a food-safe holiday season. You want the memories to be happy times and not of foodborne illness or a trip to the emergency room.

For more information on how to keep foods safe during the holidays, contact Lethia Lee at the N.C. Cooperative Extension of Sampson County office at 910-592-7161 or Lethia_Lee@ncsu.edu.