Entry bubble Safe Cooking for Your Holiday Recipes

By: Sommer | December 21, 2007 | Category: Health

Millions of Americans will travel to someone else’s home to celebrate Christmas or New Years this year. Good luck if you’re the one expecting all those visitors, they’re probably going to be very hungry when they arrive! Here are some tips on cooking for large groups of people, food safety, and great recipes to help you out.

The most important thing when cooking for large groups is to make sure you’re aware of 4 basic food safety principles:

  1. Clean hands, cutting boards and other kitchen surfaces regularly.cooking
  2. Separate raw meat, seafood and poultry (and their juices) from ready-to-eat foods and produce.
  3. Cook foods to their recommended temperatures – use a food thermometer to verify the temperature.
  4. Chill refrigerated foods properly to below 40 degrees fahrenheit and put leftovers away within 2 hours. Always thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

You’d hate to have a houseful of sick guests because you forgot to use your meat thermometer on the turkey, turducken, rib roast or ham, right?

Also, be sure to take extra care preparing holiday goodies that call for eggs by ensuring they’re fully cooked before you partake. No licking the spoon for the cookie dough, folks! And be careful with the egg nog – alcohol doesn’t kill the bacteria in the eggs!

Remember that foods might require a little extra prep if any of your guests are members of at risk groups including expectant moms (like me!), children and seniors.  It will make your guests feel good to know you’ve taken the time to prepare food that they can enjoy safely.

I’d love to hear about any of your favorite holiday traditions or recipes – you can leave them in the comments.

Happy Holidays!!!

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Entry bubble When In Doubt, Throw It Out

By: Sam | October 17, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

When it comes to cooking, I have to admit I’m no Top Chef.  Dinner is usually either a sandwich, cereal, or whatever frozen meal was on sale.  And yes, these pathetic dinners do lead me to a.) wish I could have Curtis from the Take Home Chef cook my meals every night, and b.) dine out or order takeout more often than I would like to admit.

As a result, I always have leftovers.  Who doesn’t love cold pizza or General Tso’s chicken for breakfast?  But by the third morning, I’m never quite sure if my last slice of pepperoni will make me sick. Thankfully, the Food Safety and Inspection Service has put together these handy storage charts, which will be posted on my fridge and, hopefully, yours as well.

 

Refrigerator Storage at 40º or below

 

Cooked meat or poultry

3 to 4 days

Pizza

3 to 4 days

Luncheon meats

3 to 5 days

Egg, tuna, and macaroni salads

3 to 5 days

 

Freezer Storage at 0º or below

 

Cooked meat or poultry

2 to 6 months

Pizza

1 to 2 months

Luncheon meats

1 to 2 months

In addition to storage times, here are some additional food safety tips:

  • Keep in mind the 2-hour rule.  Discard all perishable items left at room temperature after two hours.
  • When reheating your leftovers, follow these easy guidelines. 
  • And remember when in doubt, throw it out!

Feel free to share your favorite recipes for leftovers below.

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