We’ve passed Thanksgiving and are well into the holiday season, and with all the food preparation and leftovers hanging out in your refrigerator you need to keep these 5 food safety tips in mind.
Check Temperatures
First, be sure to read the labels on any food items you are buying. Lots of folks have allergies and you need to keep those in mind when you purchase items. Even something seemingly innocuous like breadcrumbs or flour may have ingredients that may trigger allergies. Be aware of what you prepare.
Next, think about temperatures. Your refrigerator should be kept at a constant and at 40 degrees or lower. (Higher than that bacteria start becoming active.) And on the opposite side, when you are cooking remember that oven temperature does not equal food temperature. The interior temperature of food must reach 165 to kill bacteria.
Third, make sure you wash your hands before and after handling food. You may not think about what you were doing prior to stuffing that turkey, but whatever it was, you don’t want to transfer it to the bird. Likewise the bacteria you picked up from touching that raw turkey can easily transfer to whatever you are holding next.
Fourth item: don’t overdo it on the antibacterial cleansers and hand sanitizers. Likewise you don’t need to do an anti-bacterial dip/wash for your foods. Studies have shown that allergies are on the rise because immune systems aren’t being exposed to enough microbes to learn what is good or bad, and thus sometimes attack pollens and proteins as if they were a problem.
And finally on our food safety tips list, make the host aware of any allergies you may have. They can’t make acceptable foods if you don’t let them know you have issues.
These 5 Food Safety Tips can help you to stay healthy and be around to enjoy many more years of holiday celebrations and family get togethers.
