We’re completely aware that Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the blissful gluttony of delicious holiday delights has only just begun. If anything, Thanksgiving is a but a bookend to a smorgasbord that doesn’t end until after New Year’s. For some, however (namely the cooks), the holidays mean months of dreaded epicurean agony. Naturally, those in the kitchen lean towards preparing as much food as they can before big events. Though not all food stores well, there are a handful of dishes that do–even to the point of tasting better if prepared in advance: turkey gravy, pie, unbaked rolls, baked casseroles, stuffing, vegetable platters, salad dressings, and dips, just to name a few. But before jumping in and getting too excited about all the time you’ll save by preparing your food ahead of time, consider this list of Dos and Don’ts to keep your meal safe:

DOs:

1. Thoroughly clean your refrigerator and freezer.  This not only gives you the room you will need to store your delicious morsels, but it will also keep them from absorbing the smells and bacteria of a dirty cooling device. If you’re extra worried about smells, let a partially opened box of baking soda accompany your food just to be safe (the sodium bicarbonate in baking soda absorbs odors like a champ).
2. After preparing hot food, allow it to cool before placing it in the refrigerator or freezer.  Also, refrigerate or freeze food in shallow containers.
3. Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator—or, if you’re running low on time, in cold water.  Follow the USDA’s chart for turkey’s defrosting times.
4. Reheat all hot foods to a minimum of 165 degrees, including the center of the dish.
5. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold (140 degrees or above for hot foods; 40 degrees or below for cold foods).

DON’Ts:

1. Interrupt cooking.  Partially cooked foods cool to temperatures that bacteria thrive in.  Be safe by cooking foods completely the first time.
2. Overstuff your refrigerator or freezer.  Doing so will not only put your food at risk by heating up appliances’ internal temperature, which allows bacteria to grow, but it will waste energy by making your appliances work harder to maintain a cooler temperature.
3. Thaw food anywhere except in the refrigerator, cold water, or the microwave.
4. Let food sit out.  Bacteria starts growing in food only two hours after it is prepared.
5. Stress.  Following these basic rules will save you time and energy, which will in turn allow you to enjoy, with your guests, a day of blissful gluttony.

–Aubrey Pontious

Sources: thekitchn.com, dummies.com, FSIS.usda.gov, renewalblesathome.com

We love leftovers, hence the title of this post. But we know that it is better to have eaten once and thrown away than to never have loved (um, we mean eaten) at all. If you are going to do turkey sandwiches, soups, and casseroles this year, here’s what you need to know:

• Bacteria multiply invisibly, increasing up to 2 times their number every 20 minutes, especially when left in the Temperature Danger Zone (e.g. your counter). The acceptable amount of time for food to be left unrefrigerated is less than 2 hours; any longer and it should be thrown out.
• Proper care of leftovers begins right after the food is initially served. Home Economics classes all over the county counsel home cooks to use shallow, sealed dishes to store leftovers. This enables food to cool quickly once it is placed in the fridge.
• If the food is going to be saved for longer than just a few days, it is best to consult a food storage chart (available here), which gives standard lengths of time for refrigeration and freezing. For example, fresh, raw, and cooked eggs each have a different expiration date acknowledged on the chart.
• A great way to keep track of expiration dates of items kept in refrigeration is to date them with a permanent marker on a disposable bag or piece of tape affixed to the storage container. Date them with the date they are placed in storage as well as the last possible date the food can be used, according to the food storage chart.
• Once it’s time to take leftovers out of the freezer or refrigerator, food safety standards prompt a cook to re-heat food items until  there is steam coming off their surface or until they reach 165° F.
• When using your microwave to reheat items, first cover the food to allow the heat to disburse evenly, stir occasionally to reduce cold spots (which would more likely contain bacteria) and check the temperature of the food with a food thermometer to ensure the goal temperature of 165° F has been achieved.

Good luck to you all in love as well as sandwiches!

Julia Simmons, M.Ed., Home Economist contributed to this article.

Sources: FSIS.usda.gov Preparation, FSIS.usda.gov Be Food Safe, FDA.gov Downloads

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you’re about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Actually, they haven’t been. This story is about Bryan Chapman, our vice president of operations. In his own words . . .

A lone solitary figure lay prostrate on the cold floor. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he forced himself to breathe deep, in attempts to quiet the shakes and regain a semblance of control. Sanity had just retaken control; however, only moments before death seemed a suitable alternative.

How he came to this predicament is still unknown, although all symptoms point to a flawlessly orchestrated operation put in motion hours before. What is unfortunately true, and incredibly disgusting, is that the assailant, Norovirus, was likely transferred through feces being ingested in the mouth . . . my mouth. The vehicle? Food.

My office door today, at StateFoodSafety.com, has a sign saying “Here lies one of our own, fallen from foodborne illness.” (It doesn’t. See above.) The reality is I shook someone’s hand, touched a doorknob, changed a diaper, touched a keyboard or a host of any other things infected by Norovirus, and didn’t wash my hands either well enough, or often enough.

So, unless you want to spend the Holiday season slumped against a cold toilet, confident your eyes will explode with every projectile vomit or the dreaded dry heaves, please take note of the following:

• Norovirus is the number one foodborne illness in the United States, occurring more than 20 million times a year.
• The “24-hour flu” or “stomach flu” is actually most likely Norovirus.
• Norovirus is highly contagious and causes acute gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
• The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.  Vomiting and diarrhea can occur many times a day (this has been personally verified).
• Anyone can get Norovirus.
• Most people get better within 1 to 2 days (thankfully, this has also been personally verified).
• Because of vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration is a common secondary illness, making it important to constantly drink small sips of electrolyte enhanced water like Gatorade.
• Norovirus is spread through contact with a contaminated surface, and then touching the mouth, or by having direct contact with an infected person, such as sharing food.

So, this Thanksgiving and Holiday season, unless you want to watch other people eat delicious Turkey legs, while you cringe and run to the john, please adhere to these tips to prevent the spread of Norovirus.

• Wash your hands.  Wash them often.  Use soap and water, especially after using the restroom or changing diapers, and always before preparing and eating food.
• Alcohol based hand sanitizers are helpful as supplements to soap and water, but are not a replacement.
• Carefully wash fruits and vegetables.
• Disinfect kitchen surfaces often using a bleach-based household cleaner or making your own solution by adding ¼ cup of bleach to 2 ¼ cups of water.  Just pour the solution into a spray bottle and disinfect surfaces.

–Bryan Chapman

This story is true. If you would like more information, jump to our facts source: CDC.gov

It’s time to come to grips with the fact that the holidays are coming. They’re almost here, in fact! We, your friends and food safety resources here at StateFoodSafety.com want to you to go into this, the most festive time of year, prepared and ready to keep your loved ones safe from foodborne illness. So we’ve put together some tricks and tips to get you into–and through–the holidays, all with a smile on your face.

Let’s start with your fridge. Just like a turkey cooks more evenly when it is only lightly stuffed with vegetables, a fridge cools better when its contents are loosely packed. Proper spacing of the items in your refrigerator will help keep items at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or below. When thawing turkey, it’s best to plan ahead. Thaw the bird in the refrigerator, allowing yourself 1 day for every 5 pounds of turkey. Make sure the bird is on the bottom of the fridge, to avoid cross contamination from dripping and condensation. Leaving the sealed packaging around the bird will help as well. If you don’t have room at the bottom of the fridge, or you have produce drawers taking up all your refrigerator real-estate, place your turkey in a rimmed baking pan or large bowl that will contain any condensation or juices. Wash the container immediately after the turkey is removed. Do not use it to store or thaw other items.

Here are some more tips to keep your holidays merry and bright:

• Keep paper towels and a spray bottle of liquid (clearly marked as hazardous and kept away from children), with 1 tsp of bleach and a quart of water–feel free to multiply this as needed–for cleaning up meat juices on kitchen surfaces.
• Set aside a separate hamper or bag for soiled kitchen linens, including aprons, that may have become contaminated during food preparation.
• Keep a sink of hot, soapy water ready for dirty dishes between dishwashing cycles.
• Put out-of-season decor and other non-useful kitchen items in stackable, sealable storage bins for protection from breakage and contamination. This will also keep the decor from become a physical contaminate itself (by preventing broken shards or pieces from entering food).
• Print additional holiday cleaning checklists, like this one, to follow before and after the festivities.

And don’t forget, accessible, healthy snacks and wholesome beverages enable convenient nutrition for family members throughout the holiday season. Always wash hands before eating or handling foods to prevent sniffles, coughs, and foodborne illnesses. Practicing these tips in your home will let guests and families know their health is more important than the holiday rush. Good luck and best wishes!

Julia Simmons, M.Ed., Home Economist contributed to this column

Sources: FDA.gov, foodsafety.asn.au

With Thanksgiving around the corner, hearts turn to family, friends, and—let’s face it—food!  A plump and juicy turkey overflowing with stuffing is often the vehicle that brings people together year after year, but, if not prepared with proper care, it can also be the vehicle for foodborne illnesses which will upset the stomachs of both the dinner guests and the cook.  In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that a whopping 76 million people in America get sick from disease-causing substances in food every year. Don’t let your loved ones fall victim.

Of all Thanksgiving foods, stuffing is infamous for housing the bacteria that causes foodborne illnesses.  Why?  Because if not cooked long enough the cavity of a turkey fails to reach 165 degrees—the temperature strong enough to kill bacteria.  As a result, the stuffing inside of a turkey’s cavity becomes the playground for bacteria. The good news is that, through a few safe practices, bacteria can be destroyed.  The easiest way to prevent bacteria from getting into your stuffing is to keep it far, far away from the bird.  Cooking it in a separate dish, although not as fun or traditional, is safest.  But if you choose to stuff, the USDA has provided some helpful guidelines:

1. Prepare stuffing before placing it into the turkey, but stuff the bird quickly after your stuffing has cooked. Do not attempt to cool the stuffing after it’s cooked, or bacteria can begin to accumulate in large numbers, which will speedily grow inside the bird’s cavity.
2. Stuff the turkey loosely. The USDA recommends using only 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey.
3. Cook the stuffed turkey immediately–at no lower than 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Using a thermometer, make sure the cavity of the bird reaches a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Although turkeys often come equipped with a nifty red button that pops up when the turkey is “done,” they are not always accurate. So use a thermometer to be safe.
5. Let the turkey stand for 20 minutes after it is cooked. For at least 10 minutes, the residual heat inside the bird will continue to cook the meat. This also allows for better juice retention, yielding a moister bird.
6. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours, storing them in a shallow Tupperware and eating them within 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

By following these simple steps, foodborne illness with be held at bay and friends and family will thank you for the safely prepared holiday fare. Enjoy this delicious season of thanks!

–Aubrey Pontious

Photo Source: NY Times Blog

For more information, see our sources: NDDIC, USDA FSIS