Secret Ingredients In Holiday Foods

The perfect holiday party -- delicious foods, beautiful decorations, the perfect guest list and bacteria-laden cream pies...wait a minute! If you dream of hosting the perfect holiday party, make sure your guests go home happy and healthy. Be careful that your foods don't contain any secret ingredients from poor shopping, unsafe food handling, or leaving foods out of temperature for too long.

The four basic food safety rules are clean, separate, cook and chill, but food safety actually starts with a careful grocery shopping strategy.

Shop Strategically

Plan ahead when grocery shopping. Buy only from reputable, safe, approved sources. Never purchase canned goods that are damaged, bulging, rusty, missing labels or leaking. These signs may mean the food inside is damaged or crawling with bacteria. Select packaged foods first and add cold foods to your cart last. Refrigerated and frozen foods should not be out of temperature for more than two hours. If you have to run other errands, or won't arrive home within two hours, keep food cold in an ice chest. Refrigerated foods should be kept at 40° F or below, and frozen foods should be kept at 0° F or below.

Cook Carefully

Follow the four food safety rules: clean, separate, cook and chill. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean surfaces and utensils with soap and water, and then sanitize with a solution of one teaspoon of unscented, household bleach per gallon of water. Keep uncooked meat and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods so raw juices don't cross-contaminate. Use separate cutting boards and separate utensils, or wash, rinse and sanitize them between processing foods. Cook all meat to a recommended internal temperature using a food thermometer. Chill leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of being cooked.

Serve, Store Safely

When serving your guests fresh fruits and vegetables, dips, hors d'oeuvres and other foods, keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Use chafing dishes or slow cookers to keep hot foods hot if they will be sitting out for some time. Food should be hot and fully cooked first. Serve cold foods on a bed of ice. Serve small amounts of food, and replenish as necessary. Store leftovers in shallow dishes in the refrigerator within two hours, or discard.

Nearly seven million Americans will suffer from a food borne illness this year. Don't let your holiday guests be among them.

For more information call the McDonald County Health Department at 417-223-7122 or visit www.mcdonaldcountyhealth.com.

Community on 12/18/2014