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Brilliant Buffets and Party Platters
A popular way to celebrate holidays or any party occasion is to invite friends and family to a buffet. However, this type of food service, where foods may be out for long periods leaves the door open for uninvited guests — bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Here are some tips for a safe and brilliant buffet:
Safe Food Handling
Always wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Clean kitchen surfaces, dishes and utensils with hot water and soap. Always serve food on clean plates — never those previously holding raw meat or poultry. Bacteria that may have been present in raw meat or poultry can cross-contaminate the food to be served.
Ready to Cook a Feast
If you are cooking foods ahead of time for your party, be sure to cook foods thoroughly to safe internal temperatures.
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. If you buy party trays at the store, remove lid and fill with ice. Put the tray on the lid for a handy cooling station. 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.
Safely Sauced
Some sauces, dressings and even dessert recipes contain uncooked eggs. If your homemade recipes call for uncooked eggs, you can modify them by using pasteurized eggs, pasteurized egg product or cooking the egg mixture on the stovetop to 160 °F. Then follow the recipe’s directions.
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.
Storing the Smorgasbord
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. You can 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.
Download a Healthy Guests: Happy Holidays flyer
Safe Holiday Meal Tips and Planning
Handling Ingredients
Delicious holiday meals made from scratch call for extra special care when handling ingredients. Here’s how to handle some of the most popular ingredients safety.
The Kitchen
Having a clean kitchen to create holiday dishes is an important part of a food safe holiday. Get yours holiday ready!
The More the Merrier: Lots of People, Lots of Leftovers
Bacteria love parties! Between food sitting out for too long and more leftovers than you can handle, you have to be extra cautious when handling food for parties.
Brilliant Buffets, Parties and Meals
Planning tips, countdowns, and more–all to help you plan tons of food safe holiday parties and meals.
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
Have an emergency holiday turkey question? Call the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline.
Glorious Goodies to Send and Receive
How can you be sure that food survives holiday shipping? It’s all in the planning. Follow these handy tips to make sure what you send and receive is handled properly.
Shopping Tips
Don’t forget to practice food safety when shopping for your feast!
Talking Turkey
Get all of the information you need for a safe holiday feast! Download our fun and friendly Thanksgiving Infographic. (Below).
Be prepared! Before purchasing your turkey, make ample space in your refrigerator, moving shelves if necessary.
Fresh or frozen? There is no quality difference between a fresh or frozen turkey although fresh turkeys have shorter shelf lives. By purchasing a frozen turkey, you can get the turkey in advance and take advantage of special sales. Fresh turkeys provide convenience because they do not require thawing.
Fresh Turkeys
Allow 1 pound of turkey per person.
Buy your turkey only 1 to 2 days before you plan to cook it.
Keep it stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it. Place it on a tray or in a pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Do not buy fresh pre-stuffed turkeys. If not handled properly, any harmful bacteria that may be in the stuffing can multiply very quickly.
Frozen Turkeys
Allow 1 pound of turkey per person.
Keep frozen until you’re ready to thaw it.
See “Thawing Your Turkey” for thawing instructions.
Frozen Pre-Stuffed Turkeys
USDA recommends only buying frozen pre-stuffed turkeys that display the USDA or State mark of inspection on the packaging. These turkeys are safe because they have been processed under controlled conditions.
DO NOT THAW before cooking. Cook from the frozen state. Follow package directions for proper handling and cooking.
Allow 1¼ pounds of turkey per person.
When should I buy it? Keep in mind that a whole turkey takes about 24 hours per four to five pounds to thaw in the refrigerator. (For example: A 15-pound frozen bird will take 3 to 4 full days to thaw in the refrigerator.) Ideally, purchase your frozen turkey as far in advance as necessary to safely thaw it in the refrigerator. If buying a fresh turkey, purchase it only 1 to 2 days before the meal and keep it refrigerated.
Thawing and Handling
Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling the turkey.
There are three ways to thaw your turkey safely — in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave oven.
In the Refrigerator (40 °F or below) |
|
4 to 12 pounds |
1 to 3 day |
12 to 16 pounds |
3 to 4 days |
16 to 20 pounds |
4 to 5 days |
20 to 24 pounds |
5 to 6 day |
Keep the turkey in its original wrapper. Place it on a tray or in a pan to catch any juices that may leak. A thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. If necessary, a turkey that has been properly thawed in the refrigerator may be refrozen. Thawing your turkey in the refrigerator is the safest method and will result in the best finished product.
In Cold Water |
|
4 to 12 pounds |
2 to 6 hours |
12 to 16 pounds |
6 to 8 hours |
16 to 20 pounds |
8 to 10 hours |
20 to 24 pounds |
10 to 12 hours |
Wrap your turkey securely, making sure the water is not able to leak through the wrapping. Submerge your wrapped turkey in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed. Do not refreeze.
In the Microwave Oven
Check your owner’s manual for the size turkey that will fit in your microwave oven, the minutes per pound, and power level to use for thawing.
Remove all outside wrapping.
Place on a microwave-safe dish to catch any juices that may leak.
Cook your turkey immediately. Do not refreeze or refrigerate your turkey after thawing in the microwave oven.
REMINDER: Remove the giblets from the turkey cavities after thawing. Cook separately.
Cooking Time and Temperature
Time to cook. There are several methods for cooking your turkey (see recipes) . The single most important thing to know, no matter the cooking method, is that the turkey must be cooked to the proper internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer. A stuffed turkey will take additional time to cook.
Stuff safely. Stuffing should be prepared and stuffed into the turkey immediately before it’s placed in the oven. Mix the wet and dry ingredients for the stuffing separately and combine just before using. Stuff the turkey loosely, about 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of turkey. Bake any extra stuffing in a greased casserole dish. Cooked inside or outside the bird, all stuffing and dressing recipes must be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165 °F. (For optimum safety and more even cooking, it’s recommended to cook your stuffing in a casserole dish.) Take the temperature! ! Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. Cook to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, cook turkey to higher temperatures but not to exceed 170 °F in the breast and 180 °F in the thigh. (If the turkey is done and the stuffing is not yet 165 °F, remove the stuffing from the turkey and place it in a greased casserole dish to continue cooking to temperature.) Use the timetable below to estimate approximate cooking time.
These times are approximate and should always be used in conjunction with a properly placed food thermometer. A whole turkey is safe cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the bird. Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your turkey and stuffing. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures.
For optimum safety, do not stuff whole poultry. It is recommended to cook stuffing outside the bird. If stuffing whole poultry, the center of the stuffing must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving
Thermal/Conventional Oven Open Pan Method Timetable for Roasting a Turkey at 325 °F.
Unstuffed Turkey | Time Estimate |
8 to 12 pounds | 2-3/4 to 3 hours |
12 to 14 pounds | 3 to 3-3/4 hours |
14 to 18 pounds | 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours |
18 to 20 pounds | 4-1/4 to 4-1/2 hours |
20 to 24 pounds | 4-1/2 to 5 hours |
Stuffed Turkey | Time Estimate |
8 to 12 pounds | 3 to 3-1/2 hours |
12 to 14 pounds | 3 -1/2 to 4 hours |
14 to 18 pounds | 4 to 4-1/2 hours |
18 to 20 pounds | 4-1/4 to 4-3/4 hours |
20 to 24 pounds | 4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours |
Convection ovens can cook foods more quickly and at a lower temperature than conventional ovens. This online calculator can help you figure out convection oven time estimates.
Safe carving and serving.
It’s best to let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to set, so the turkey will carve more easily. Use a clean cutting board that has a well to catch juices. Remove all stuffing from the turkey cavity. Make sure your knife is sharp before you start carving. Do not leave any extra turkey, stuffing or other leftovers out for more than two hours.
Storing leftovers safely.
Remove the stuffing and carve the extra turkey meat from the bones. Within two hours, store leftover turkey in shallow containers and put in the refrigerator or the freezer. Use cooked leftover turkey, stuffing and gravy within 3-4 days. Cooked turkey keeps for 3-4 months in the freezer. When using leftovers, reheat the foods thoroughly to 165 °F or until hot and steaming; bring gravy to a boil before serving.
Halloween Food Safety Tips
You didn’t invite them, but BAC and his germy friends, the 10 Least Wanted Pathogens, might show up at your Halloween bash whether you like it or not. Your best defense against a food fright? Learn how to recognize these invisible fiends and fight them off!
- Scare BAC! (foodborne bacteria) away by keeping all perishable foods chilled until serving time. These include, for example, finger sandwiches, cheese platters, cut fruit or tossed salads, cold pasta dishes with meat, poultry, or seafood, and cream pies or cakes with whipped-cream and cream-cheese frostings. Cold temperatures help keep most frightful bacteria from multiplying.
- To keep store-bought party trays cold, fill lids with ice and place trays on top. Similarly, keep salads and other perishable items in bowls cold by nesting them in larger bowls of ice.
- Arrange food on several small platters. Refrigerate platters of food until it is time to serve, and rotate food platters within two hours.
- BAC! will creep up on you if you let foods sit out for too long. Don’t leave perishable goodies out for more than two hours at room temperature (1 hour in temperatures above 90°F).
- When whipping up Halloween treats, don’t taste dough and batters that contain uncooked eggs.
- Beware of spooky cider! Unpasteurized juice or cider can contain harmful bacteria such as E.coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Serve pasteurized products at your Halloween party.
- Remind kids (and adults too!) to wash their hands before and after chowing down to help prevent foodborne illness.
Bobbing for Apples
Try a new spin on bobbing for apples. Cut out lots of apples from red construction paper. Write activities for kids to do on each apple, such as “say ABCs” or “do 5 jumping jacks”. Place a paper clip on each apple and put them in a large basket. Tie a magnet to a string or create a fishing pole with a dowel rod, magnet and yarn. Let the children take turn “bobbing” with their magnet and doing the activity written on their apple. Give children a fresh apple for participating in your food safe version of bobbing for apples.
Don’t let BAC! crash your Monster Mash! Download the activity flyer for kids
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