Safe Food Handling
Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food. Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean also. Always serve food on clean plates -- never those previously holding raw meat and poultry. Otherwise, bacteria that may have been present in raw meat juices can cross-contaminate the food to be served.

Cook Thoroughly
If you are cooking foods ahead of time for your party, be sure to cook foods thoroughly to safe internal temperatures. Cook fresh roast beef, veal and lamb to at least 145 °F for medium rare and 160 °F for medium doneness. Roast whole poultry to a minimum of 165 °F.  Fish should be cooked to 145 °F or until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.

Use Shallow Containers
Divide cooked foods into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This encourages rapid, even cooling. Reheat foods to 165 °F. Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter.

A helpful hint is to prepare extra serving platters and dishes ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator or keep them hot in the oven (set at approximately 200 to 250 °F) prior to serving. Then REPLACE empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it. Many people’s hands may have been taking food from the dish, which has also been sitting out at room temperature.

The 2-Hour Rule
Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything there two hours or more.

Keep Hot Foods HOT And Cold Foods COLD
Hot foods should be held at 140 °F or warmer. On the buffet table you can keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays. Cold foods should be held at 40 °F or colder. Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. Otherwise, use small serving trays and replace them.

Bacteria can also multiply quickly in moist desserts that contain dairy products. Keep eggnog, cheesecakes, cream pies and cakes with whipped-cream or cream-cheese frostings refrigerated until serving time

Savory Salads
Traditional recipes for Caesar dressing may contain uncooked eggs. If Caesar salad is a favorite among your guests, you can keep BAC! out of your salad bowl with a dressing recipe that heats the eggs.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Safely Sauced
You can add zest to hot meats, poultry and eggs by adding hollandaise and béarnaise sauces. If your homemade recipes for these luscious food toppings call for uncooked eggs, you can modify them by cooking the egg mixture on the stovetop to 160 °F. Then follow the recipe’s directions

Delicate Eggs and Dairy
Keep in mind that BAC! loves moist environments like soufflés and foods that contain dairy. Be sure to refrigerate these right up until serving time.

Holiday Eggnog

The 4 Core Safe Handling Practices
To survive and multiply, bacteria need food, moisture, time and the right temperature. If consumed, harmful bacteria can cause foodborne illness. When preparing food, always follow the "core four" of food safety: clean, separate, cook and chill.

Party Crashers: Foodborne Bacteria

If you have questions or concerns about food safety, contact:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854). The TTY number for the hearing impaired is 800-256-7072.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Information Line at 888-SAFE-FOOD.