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Community Corner

Wrapping up the Holidays

How to safely store and handle your holiday meal leftovers

Holiday food – the mouth-watering turkey, stuffing, and chocolate chip cookie dough – are as much a part of family traditions as Aunt Trudy's star on top of your tree.

Those same favorite things can ruin your holiday if not handled properly, causing food borne illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 48 million Americans are affected each year. While the majority of bouts are mild cases, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die each year.

Those at higher risk for food borne illnesses include young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people who are ill or on medications including antibiotics and immunosuppressants.

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Improper thawing of turkeys is high up on the list of food safety mistakes this time of year, according to Dennis Bauer, a supervisor for the Bucks County Department of Environmental Health.

Bauer also serves as the Food Facility Safety and Security program coordinator and works out of the Levittown district office. There are also offices in Doylestown and Quakertown.

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Turkeys and other meat should be thawed in the refrigerator not on the counter. Bauer also suggests folks not rely on the looks of food or the plastic, pop-up timer in their holiday bird for doneness but by temperature, which should reach 165 degrees.

"The proof is in the pudding. Buying a relatively inexpensive probing thermometer is a better option," Bauer said.

While many people may think that undercooking causes the most food-related illnesses, in reality most are caused by improper food handling.

One such issue is cross contamination – raw meats and poultry touching other foods. You can avoid that problem by using separate cutting boards for raw meat and poultry and sanitizing the boards, kitchen surfaces, knives and utensils between uses.

You can use a diluted bleach solution to sanitize surfaces, leaving it on for a few minutes before rinsing.

Hands should also be washed in warm water with soap after any activities that would contaminate them, including going to the bathroom, blowing or touching your nose, eating, smoking a cigarette, even answering the phone.

Hosts and hostesses planning a party often cook large quantities in advance. Be sure to cool it down (preferably in shallow pans) and refrigerate it as soon as possible. Don't cool it down first on top of the stove, where bacteria could grow between 40 degrees and 140 degrees.

While holiday food fests can go for hours, Bauer said to keep in mind that leftovers should be packaged in serving portions and refrigerated in a timely manner.

"Two hours is a good rule of thumb," he said.

If food has been left out for four or more hours and not kept chilled or heated with a chafing dish, toss it.

For more holiday food safety tips, visit www.holidayfoodsafety.org

 

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