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Preventing Foodborne Illness from your Holiday Buffet

By Family Features

Bountiful buffets are a sideboard of scents, an intriguing array of choices, and an attractive sight for the eye. Whether it's a holiday celebration, a family gathering, a sports-watching party, or a potluck dinner, the chance to partake in a variety of delectable dishes is fun for everyone.

However, buffets - where foods are often left out at room temperature for several hours - leave the door open for uninvited guests: bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foods prepared in the home cause thousands of foodborne illnesses yearly in America. The top two causes of foodborne illness are:

1. Leaving food out at an unsafe temperature, and
2. Not cooking food to high enough temperatures to destroy bacteria.

Keep Hot Food Hot and Cold Food Cold
To keep bacteria from growing, it's important to keep hot food at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above. After cooking or reheating foods, keep them hot in an oven set at 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. For serving, a chafing dish, food warmer, slow cooker, or electric warming tray can keep hot food hot. Do not reheat food in a slow cooker. However, once reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, foods can be transferred to the slow cooker and kept hot.

Cold food should be held at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Nest cold dishes in bowls of ice. It's best to arrange and serve cold food on several small platters rather than on one large platter. Keep them refrigerated until serving time. Replace empty platters; don't add fresh food to a dish that already had food in it.

Cold food can be out of the refrigerator a maximum of 2 hours. After that, the food will be in the "Danger Zone" - temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit where bacteria thrive and grow. Discard any food left at room temperature more than 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit).

Spiral-Cut Hams
Spiral-cut hams are best served cold. However, if you wish to reheat one, cover the entire ham or portion with heavy aluminum foil and heat at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes per pound. Be sure to use a food thermometer to insure the ham reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit - a temperature high enough to destroy any bacteria that may be present in a fully cooked, pre-sliced ham.

The Always-Popular Meatballs
Whether you make homemade meatballs ahead of time or purchase them from the freezer case, it's important to reheat them to 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving - and keep them hot.

When making homemade meatballs, it's best not to store raw egg-meat mixtures in the refrigerator. As soon as you mix and form the meatballs, cook them until they reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If not using them right away, cool them in a single layer and refrigerate in shallow containers. Reheat and use the cooked meatballs within 4 days. Leftovers may be frozen.

Safe Handling of Buffet Foods
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends these practices to keep all hot and cold buffet foods safe:

Keep Everything Clean

• Wash your hands with warm soapy water before and after handling food.
• Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean. 
• Always serve food on clean plates - not those previously holding raw meat and poultry. Otherwise, bacteria which may have been present in raw meat juices can cross-contaminate the food to be served.

Cook Home-Prepared Foods Thoroughly

• Cook foods to safe minimum internal temperatures as measured with a food thermometer.

• Beef, veal and lamb steaks, roasts and chops may be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
• All cuts of fresh pork to should be cooked to160 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Ground beef, veal and lamb must reach at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chill Promptly

• Divide cooked foods into shallow containers for rapid cooling.
• Store these foods in the refrigerator or freezer until serving.

Handle Frozen Convenience Foods Safely

• Follow handling and cooking instructions on frozen convenience foods.
• Thaw foods in the refrigerator, not out on the counter.
• Before serving cooked foods intended to be served hot, reheat them to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  

Handle Take-Out Foods Safely

• Refrigerate cold perishable foods as soon as possible, always within 2 hours after purchase or delivery. If the food is in air temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, refrigerate within 1 hour.
• When picking up hot take-out foods such as fried or rotisserie chicken, transport the food to the buffet location and keep it hot.
• If you plan to eat at a later time, take-out or delivered food should be divided into smaller portions or pieces, placed in shallow containers, and refrigerated.
  

The "Two-Hour" Rule

• Bacteria grow rapidly in the "Danger Zone" - temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit (refrigerator temperature) and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (the minimum for holding hot food).
• Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit). 
• Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything there 2 hours or more.
• Leftovers from safely handled dishes should be refrigerated and used within 4 days. Frozen cooked leftovers will taste best if used within 3 months but are safe indefinitely.

Following the USDA's recommendations will keep your bountiful buffet safe for guests.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1 (888) 674-6854 is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. For additional information, go to www.fsis.usda.gov.


Appetizer Meatballs Your Way
Choose from Tex-Mex, Swedish, Chinese, or Middle Eastern flavors
Basic Meatball Mixture
Makes 48
1 1/2 pounds ground meat or poultry, or any combination
(ground beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken or turkey)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9x13-inch baking sheet with non-stick spray or olive oil, or line pan with non-stick aluminum foil.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine ground meat, onion, bread crumbs, milk, parsley, salt and pepper. 
3. Add the seasoning for the flavor of meatball you want.
4. Form 48 meatballs from mixture and place on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake 15 minutes, or until meatballs reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Fahrenheit if using ground poultry).
6. If not serving immediately, keep warm in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven or cool and refrigerate in shallow containers.
7. Accompany the meatballs with dipping sauce listed for meatball variety.

Tex-Mex Meatballs
Ground beef stands up to hearty flavors.
Seasoning for meatball mixture: 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
Dipping sauce: purchased chunky salsa or green tomatillo salsa.

Swedish Meatballs
Ground turkey or chicken gives a delicate flavor.
Seasoning for meatball mixture: 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika and 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg.
Dipping sauce: 1 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup milk, 2 tablespoons (half of a 1-ounce packet) dry onion soup mix, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed.
Mix together at least an hour before serving.

Chinese Meatballs
Get best flavor by using some ground pork.
Seasoning for meatball mixture: 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
Dipping sauce: purchased (10-ounce) jar sweet and sour sauce.

Middle-Eastern Meatballs
Get best flavor by using ground lamb.
Seasoning for meatball mixture: 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Sprinkle formed meatballs with 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; press into meat.
Dipping sauce: 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 cup chopped green onions, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar.

family features nov 08

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