Food safety tips for holiday dinner
CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) Nearly 50 million Americans get sick every year from something they eat, according to the Centers for Disease and Control. Dr. James Rogers with CBS Consumer Reports said the holiday season is the time of year when more people make food safety mistakes.
Practicing these good food safety habits can help keep your holiday meals delicious and safe.
Don't touch your phone while cooking
Consumer Reports said that you shouldn't be scrolling through your phone while cooking, but many people do it anyway, especially while they're using their phone as a cookbook. "If you then touch some type of digital devices, such as your phone or an iPad, you can then contaminate those things," Dr. Rogers said.
If you do need your phone, you should wash your hands thoroughly first. The CDC says to scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
It's also best practice to wash your hands before and after working with food to keep bacteria from transferring over to your meals and the rest of your home.
Clean all surfaces before cooking, except your meats
Dr. Rogers says don't wash your turkey or other poultry. It can splash bacteria around the kitchen. Bacteria can also spread in reusable shopping bags. If you've carried raw meat in them, they may leave germs behind that contaminate food on future grocery runs.
"So, our recommendations are that you wash, if they're cloth bags, you wash them in hot water in your washing machine, possibly every use, depending on what you're bringing home from the grocery store," Dr. Rogers says.
Remember to also wash your cutting boards, dishes, forks, spoons, knives, and countertops with hot soapy water. The FDA recommends you do this after working with each food item.
Also, clean the lids on canned goods before opening and rinse fruits and veggies.
Use a food thermometer
While there are many techniques to keep figuring out if you've cooked your meat thoroughly, the fool-proof way is by using a thermometer to make sure it's safe to eat.
Here are the safe internal temperatures for meat:
- Beef, Pork, Lamb 145 °F
- Fish 145 °F
- Ground Beef, Pork, Lamb 160 °F
- Turkey, Chicken, Duck 165 °F
Take left over's in the fridge ASAP
It can take four hours for dangerous bacteria to grow on food, so it's important to put any leftovers in the fridge as soon as you can. Consumer reports recommend storing leftovers within two hours from cooking them. Also, eat your leftovers within three to four days to prevent any food-borne illnesses this holiday season.
Also, remember to keep raw food and leftovers separated in the fridge. It's especially important to keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from other foods. The key is to do this in your shopping cart, bags, and fridge. Remember not to reuse marinades used on raw foods unless you bring them to a boil first. And use a special cutting board or plate for raw foods only.
