Basic Steps Ensure Safe Holiday Meal

— 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. 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. Chill leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours

of being cooked.

Serve and 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. 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.