If you're looking for a refresher course in safe holiday food preparation, the Washington State University King County Extension has compiled a series of quick, easy answers to common food safety questions. The online resource, “Food Safety in a Minute,” covers topics ranging from packing lunches and food storage to holiday and emergency food safety.
“When in Doubt, Throw it Out” – Never taste or keep food you think might have spoiled.
Shop for Perishables Last – When you’re grocery shopping, pick up the refrigerated and frozen items last. Bring a cooler or an insulated bag with freezer packs if it will be more than two hours between shopping for food and returning home.
Defrost with Care – Defrost turkeys and other frozen food in the refrigerator, and make sure that raw meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other foods or surfaces.
Keep Those Hands Clean – To prevent cross contamination, wash your hands with warm running water and soap, scrubbing for 20 seconds and drying with a paper towel, before and after handling raw meats, poultry, and seafood.
Storing Leftovers– Rapid cooling minimizes bacterial growth. The cooling process can be sped up by placing hot food in small, shallow containers, preferably metal. Place uncovered containers in the refrigerator and cover when cool. For large batches of soup, place the stockpot in a sink of ice water, stirring occasionally until cool.
Avoid Heat Overload in the Fridge – Don’t store too many hot foods in your refrigerator; they can raise the temperature. The danger zone for food temperature is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees, when bacteria can multiply rapidly. If food is left in that temperature range for more than two hours, the safety guideline is to discard it.
Reheat Precooked Food to 165 Degrees – Keep a thermometer on hand in your kitchen. If you’re not sure whether your reheated food is hot enough, try using an oven cord thermometer. Though they’re designed to test the temperature of food that’s cooking in an oven, they can also quickly display the temperature of reheated food on an electronic monitor. Fork thermometers are another option; they have temperature probes in the tines of the fork.
If You Live in a Flood Zone – Move canned goods up from basements or lower cabinets. Discard any food exposed to flood waters, which may carry silt, raw sewage, oil or chemical wastes. Other foods that should be discarded when flood-damaged are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fresh produce, opened and unopened glass jarred food, spices and extracts, and all foods in cardboard boxes, paper, cellophane or plastic wrap or foil. Discard any cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted. Remove the label and mark the contents with indelible ink on the tops of any cans that were exposed to flood waters but otherwise undamaged. Wash in a strong detergent with a scrub brush. Then submerge cans in a solution of one teaspoon of chlorine bleach per quart of water at room temperature for 15 minutes. Allow the cans to air dry before opening.
Microwave Safety – Water and other liquids can easily overheat, making burns a common injury for microwave users. Microwaves can heat water past its boiling point even though it doesn’t appear to be boiling. This “superheating” occurs when you heat water in a clean cup. Even a slight movement, like picking up the cup or adding hot chocolate mix, can result in an eruption of boiling water out of the cup. Keep your microwave’s instruction manual handy and follow it closely. Also, don’t operate a microwave if the door does not close firmly or is bent, warped, or if it will continue to run with the door open. Don’t stand directly against a microwave for long periods of time while it is operating.
Not for Microwave Use – It's important to use appropriate containers when heating food in the microwave. Items that should be avoided are paper towels, napkins and brown grocery bags unless they are approved for microwave use. The WSU King County Extension also cautions against using margarine tubs, cottage cheese containers and whipped topping containers because they may warp or melt while cooking. Chemicals may move from the container to your food and pose health risks.
Check the Label First – Glass and ceramic containers, oven bags, waxed paper and many plastic wraps and molded containers are designed for safe use in your microwave. But check the label first.
For more information on things like preserving foods and keeping food safe in your office, go to king.wsu.edu/nutrition/FoodSafety.html.
Melanthia Peterman is a Seattle journalist and mother of a 1-year-old boy.
