One of the best things you can do during the holiday season is to have a master plan set out for yourself. After all, the top chefs do it, and so should you. You will want to have the proper heating and cooling devices ready, as although a single oven and refrigerator or freezer is enough for most people, those who are cooking larger amounts of food may require more, and you want to be prepared for this rather than realizing it when it is too late. You need to have plenty of clean ice and always keep foods properly heated or cooled, depending on what is called for.
It is important when cooking that you wash your hands frequently, especially around the holidays when there are so many colds and flu going around. Washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to minimize bacterial contamination and keep your food safe 먹튀. You especially need to make sure you clean your hands thoroughly after handling the turkey or any other raw meat. Besides washing your hands, you should wash all fresh produce as well. Even greens that are prepackaged should be washed before cooking in order to minimize potential bacterial contamination, and simply rinsing it under cool water will be enough.
Defrosting your food completely before cooking it is very important when it comes to food safety issues. If you choose to use a frozen turkey then you are going to want to allocate 24 hours per 5 pounds to defrost in the refrigerator and then you can leave the bird on the counter to defrost the rest of the way, if necessary. Also, in consideration of drought conditions in certain areas of the country, defrosting the turkey using water may seem wasteful but it is one of the safest methods, especially if you need it defrosted in less time.
Another incredibly important rule that should be followed, it is important to remember that leaving food out too long is one of the biggest holiday food safety problems. It is fine to leave food out right after eating to give you time to relax, but when food sits out for more than two hours in the danger zone, which refers to any temperature ranging between 40 and 140ºF, then it is prime for bacterial growth. You should store any leftovers in 2-inch deep, shallow containers and make sure that the refrigerator is never too full so that there will be plenty of air circulating throughout it.
One food safety tip that most people would not realize involves apple cider. It is best to serve only pasteurized apple cider because this means that the juice has been pasteurized in order to destroy any harmful bacteria. While you can buy unpasteurized juice you will have to remember that it will contain a warning that it can cause serious illness in vulnerable people.
It is important to be careful when cooking meat, but also with eggs. Many eggnog recipes call for uncooked eggs but keep in mind that in these cases you should be using pasteurized eggs or at least cook the yolks lightly to make sure you kill any potential salmonella bacteria. Eggs should be kept refrigerated until used and if you spill any on the counter or floor it should be cleaned up immediately .
While the United States’ food supply is one of the safest in the entire world, there are still some 76 million people each year that get sick from foodborne illnesses. Food safety can be especially challenging during the holidays, as not only is it already cold and flu season and so many people are already sick to begin with, but also because the menu includes many more dishes than normal.