Food Safety Pages. Check them out!
Buffet and Party Safety
Also includes what to do if your guests have been
delayed at least an hour
Golden Rules of
Food Safety
IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT! If you have any
question in your mind about the freshness or safety of eating a food product,
throw it out. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Picnic Safety Tips
There
is nothing more American than the picnic. Picnics can take on many forms,
such as the community picnic, friends and neighbors, tailgate parties, or
ball games. There is also one sure thing at every picnic-lots of good food.
The important point is to have safe and healthy food, not food that can
cause food borne illness. Always prepare and store food properly.
Summer
Safety Tips
Summer is the time for barbecues and picnics.
The biggest party crasher
at summer picnic and buffets is food borne bacteria. You can't see them
and
you can't taste them, but you sure can feel them if illness occurs
hours or days later.
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ALWAYS wash your hands before and after handling food:
When preparing food, keep surfaces and utensils clean.
Surfaces are not just counter-tops and cutting boards; don't forget to clean
your utensils, too.
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Wash you hands between each cooking task!
A simple trick that I use, is to fill my kitchen sink with hot, sudsy water. This serves two
(2) purposes for me.
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When preparing food, I can toss the dirty dishes into the hot water as I cook. This make for easier cleanup.
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As you cook, stick your hands in the water to clean.
Photo from
US Department of Health and Human Services Photo from Linda's Kitchen
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Avoid cross-contamination.:
Don't use the same
platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry.
Use one cutting board for raw meats, another for fruits and vegetables that won't be cooked.
Always serve food on clean platters:
Now, you are probably thinking - "I know that! Why is she saying that to me?" But think? Have you every taken raw meat to the barbecue on a plate and then put the cooked meat back on the same plate to serve?
Don't do this unless you have washed the dish in between. Raw meat has bacteria that will spread to the cooked meat.
Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold: COLD
If you have hot food/foods in the oven, put an
accurate
cooking or meat thermometer
in the thickest part of the meat or center of your casserole. Adjust the oven
temperature so that the food stays at an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
or above. An oven temperature of 200 to 250 degrees F. should be sufficient to
hold the food. Cover the dishes or wrap with aluminum foil to prevent dryness.
Do not leave food at room temperature longer than 2 hours (1 hour when summer room temperatures are hot).
Thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Also make sure that meat juices can't drip onto other foods.
To store hot foods, refrigerate immediately in shallow containers to cool them more quickly.
Prevent Food Poisoning - When in doubt, throw it out!
Put food away as soon as you are done with it.
Be
sure to discard any food that has an off-color or order, or food that
has warmed to room temperature for an unknown period of time.
If you have any question in your mind about the freshness or safety of eating a food product, throw it out.
Don't guess; just don't eat something that you're not sure about.
It is better to be safe than sorry!
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