Holidays and food are an inseparable pair. You should look forward to all the delicious meals you’re about to cook without worrying about potentially getting sick. Avoid food safety mistakes by keeping these helpful tips in mind. You’ll keep your loved ones safe without changing anything about your favorite recipes.
1. Leaving Food Out Too Long
When your next holiday meal is ready to serve, check the clock. Note the time before enjoying the delicious food with your loved ones. Experts found that perishable items must be refrigerated within two hours of sitting on the counter. Anything warm will need cold temperatures to stop bacteria from multiplying and potentially making you sick.
If you don’t want to rush back to the kitchen to put food away, look into using electric warming trays. They warm food from underneath while lids trap the heat inside each temperature-safe bowl. You could also get aluminum chafing trays and a few fuel cans to create a buffet lineup that keeps your meal warm while making it easy for everyone to serve themselves.
2. Not Washing Your Vegetables
People have disagreed about the importance of washing vegetables for a long time. Some think if you peel your veggies, you don’t need to scrub them. Others say soap and water are necessary for cleaning produce.
The truth is that you should wash anything that came into contact with dirt, pesticides, truck beds, produce boxes or grocery carts. You’ll prevent bacteria, viruses and dirt from contaminating your meals. Give the food a thorough rinse under your kitchen faucet. You can also use the extra minute or two to look over your produce for spoiled items you should throw away.
3. Eating Partially Moldy Food
Mold spores linger on food long before they become fuzzy masses that gross people out. If one slice of bread is moldy, the rest of the loaf has spores, too. Some produce illness-causing toxins that could require a trip to your local emergency room. Foodborne illnesses affect over 48 million people each year, and you don’t want your guests to be among them. You’re better off spending a few extra dollars replacing an ingredient than risking it by scraping mold off bread, cheese or other foods you’ll need this holiday season.
4. Drinking Raw Milk
Consuming raw milk is becoming a TikTok trend, but unpasteurized dairy can contain numerous viruses and bacteria. Pasteurization brings milk to a high heat to kill microscopic contaminants so it’s safe to drink. Protect your health and anyone you feed by only using pasteurized milk in your cooking. If you want to change your dairy routine, you could always swap cow’s milk with plant-based or lactose-free alternatives.
5. Cooking Stuffing Inside A Turkey
Golden turkeys full of roasted stuffing make a picture-perfect meal. They can also make everyone sick. Cooking your stuffing inside a raw turkey increases your cross-contamination risks because everything inside the bird will cook more slowly than the exterior meat. If you and your loved ones can’t eat turkey without stuffing, cook the cubed bread mixture in a separate casserole dish so you know you’re serving food that’s safe to eat.
6. Waiting To Cook Fresh Fish
Fresh fish goes bad quickly. You might want to roast salmon over the holiday season so its omega-3 fatty acids improve your heart health by aiding your cholesterol levels. Check the expiration date on any seafood you buy. It will likely have a fast turnaround time because fish spoils within a few days of opening.
Fresh fish might only have a 24-hour shelf life if it doesn’t come prepackaged with preservatives. If you celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, your best option might be to get your salted cod that same morning to prevent it from spoiling.
Prepare Food Safely This Holiday Season
Avoid making the most common food safety mistakes this holiday season so you’ll have an incredible time making memories with your loved ones. Be sure to research your ingredients and recipes before making anything. You’ll prevent foodborne illnesses while enjoying all your favorite holiday meals.
