The holidays are fun and joyous occasions when family and friends get together for parties and food galore! The last thing you want to invite to your party is food ‐ borne illness. Use the following tips to keep your family and friends from becoming sick. Don’t let bacteria (germs) crash your holiday parties.
Preparing Food for Your Party
• Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food.
• Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean.
• Always serve food on clean plates ‐‐ never use plates used for holding raw meat and poultry for cooked food.
To prevent problems with bacteria growing in your food:
• Keep cooked foods hot (140 F or higher).
• Use chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays to keep foods hot on your buffet table.
• Keep cold foods at 40F or colder.
• Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice OR use small serving trays and replace them often.
• Cool foods quickly in your refrigerator.
• Divide large portions of cooked foods into smaller portions to cool quickly in your refrigerator. Bacteria can also multiply quickly in moist desserts that contain dairy products. Keep eggnog, cheesecakes, cream pies and cakes with whipped ‐ cream or cream ‐ cheese frostings refrigerated until serving time.
Helpful Hint ‐
Prepare extra serving platters and dishes ahead of time; store them in the refrigerator or keep them hot in the oven (set at approximately 200 to 250 F)
before serving. Then REPLACE empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it.
Learn more by visiting: Helpful Holiday Links