Is Food In My Kitchen a Safety Hazard?
(continued)
HE-492 (Revised), Reviewed December 2006
Serving
Serving Tips
- Do not use the same platters and utensils before and after cooking. Use a clean serving plate for grilled foods too, not the one that held the raw meat, poultry or fish.
- Never leave perishable food out of the refrigerator more than 2 hours. This includes preparation and serving time.
- When temperatures reach 90 F or warmer, leave cooked food out for no longer than one hour before reheating, refrigerating or freezing.
- Pack lunches in insulated carriers with a cold pack. Caution children never to leave lunches in direct sun or on a warm radiator.
- Carry picnic food in a cooler with a cold pack. Carry cooler in the car rather than the trunk.
- When possible, put the cooler in the shade. Keep the lid on as much as possible.
- Keep cold party food on ice or serve it throughout the gathering from platters from the refrigerator.
- Divide hot party food into smaller serving platters. Keep platters refrigerated until time to warm them up for serving.
Don't Hold the Mayo
Mayonnaise is thought to be a common cause of foodborne disease, but a commercial mayonnaise is actually a preservative to some degree. This product is made with vinegar or lemon juice and salt.
The acid (vinegar or lemon juice) and salt slow bacterial growth. When low acid ingredients such as ham, eggs or potatoes, are mixed with the mayonnaise, the acid level may be diluted enough to allow the growth of microorganisms.
The Temperature Makes the Difference
Virtually all microorganisms are capable of rapid multiplication at temperatures between 60 F and 125 F. Potentially hazardous foods should not remain in 40 F to 140 F range for longer than two hours because there is some bacterial growth and survival at these outer limits. This time-and-temperature principle is the most critical line of defense in keeping safe food safe.
The only way to truly know a temperature is to use an accurate thermometer. As a guideline, 40 F is refrigerator temperature and will feel cold; 140 F is almost scalding, small bubbles will appear around the edges.
High temperatures (160 F to 212 F) reached in boiling, baking, frying and roasting, kill most microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness. Refrigeration at 40 F or below inhibits the growth of most, but not all, of these microorganisms. Freezing at 0 F or below essentially stops bacterial growth, but will not kill microorganisms that are already present.
Have a Cool Party
Setting foods out for parties and buffets presents some time/temperature concerns, but proper handling of the foods can give you a safe occasion.
The more a food is handled, the greater the chance for contamination to occur. During the preparation of a salad or appetizer the ingredients may be cooked, peeled, chopped, marinated, shaped and mixed. Each step allows the opportunity for microorganisms to enter the food.
To start, make sure if meat or poultry are used that they are thoroughly cooked. Chill ingredients before mixing. Have clean hands and utensils.
Store the prepared food in the refrigerator. Refrigeration slows bacterial growth.
Set out small amounts for serving. To replenish, discard leftover foods from the previous serving and fill a clean bowl with cold food from the refrigerator.
Turn your table into a homemade salad bar. To keep perishable food safe, simply put food containers into larger bowls filled with ice. Make sure the ice surrounds the food so it will stay cold. Promptly refrigerate any leftover food.
Keep the Hot Hot
Some home-style food warmers, like chafing dishes, vary in their ability to keep food warm throughout. When using these warmers, don't keep food out for more than two hours. Uneven warming may lead to temperature pockets in the danger zone where bacteria happily multiply.
Manage hot foods the same as cold.
That is, start with small servings. Replenish with fresh containers of hot food.
Do not just continue adding more hot food to that which has been standing out.
Leftovers
Leftovers Tips
- Use small containers for quick cooling.
- Divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
- Cool air must circulate in the refrigerator to keep food safe. That's why it is important not to pack the refrigerator or to stack the shallow containers.
- With poultry or other stuffed meats, remove stuffing and refrigerate it in separate contianers.
- Avoid tasting old leftovers to determine safety.
- Discard outdated, unsafe or possible unsafe leftovers in a garbage disposal or in tightly wrapped packages that cannot be consumed by people or animals.
- To reheat, bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165 F.
- Do not mix leftovers with fresh food portions.
Cool It Right
Improper cooling is one of the most common mistake made in all food-borne illness outbreaks. The two predominate practices are leaving cooked foods at room temperature too long and refrigerating foods in large, deep containers.
The number one rule is that POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS SHOULD NOT BE LEFT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR LONGER THAN 2 HOURS. This includes the preparation and serving time. Think about the holiday dinner when the family sits and visits at the table following an enjoyable meal. Calculate the total time the turkey, for example, sits out. Remember to add on the time when you set it out again later in the day for sandwiches and for people to help themselves at their leisure. These conditions have the potential for causing foodborne illness. Get in the habit of refrigerating the necessary foods before the visit so the event can have a happy ending.
Turkey and dressing should be separated and refrigerated in separate containers. Cover tightly for storage.
There are many things to keep in mind regarding safe refrigeration. Overpacked refrigerators do not cool foods well. There needs to be air circulation, and this is impeded when foods are pressed together and stacked on top of each other. Refrigerators need to be clean. Clean and organize the refrigerator before an event when you will need extra space. Some foods may be placed directly in the freezer for later use when space is limited.
Serious errors can occur when cooling large amounts of food because a large bowl or kettle of potato salad or chili cools very slowly. Adequate cooling of food does not occur automatically when a hot item is taken from the stove, table or preparation area and placed in the refrigerator. However, it can be accomplished by following some guidelines.
- For a cold food, such as potato salad, have all ingredients chilled before mixing.
- Cut large pieces of meat into smaller pieces.
- Place foods in shallow containers, not more than 3 to 4 inches deep, the approximate width of an adult's palm.
- Do not cover foods during the initial cooling because they stay hot longer when the steam and heat are not allowed to escape.
- Do not stack containers for cooling for the same reason as above.
- Check the refrigerator temperature to be sure it is at or below 40 F.
- Set refrigerator temperature at 32 F and freezer temperature below 0 F if you have plans to add large quantities of foods.
Cool it Properly
The addition of too much hot food to a refrigerator can raise the temperature and hinder cooling. This can be avoided by cooling large amounts of food in an ice-water bath before refrigerating it.
Let's look at an example to see what happens and what needs to be done to keep food safe. You have been asked to make 12 gallons of stew for a service club money maker. Twelve gallons of stew will weigh about 93 pounds.
You borrow a large pot (16 inches in diameter) from the community center. The stew will be about 13 inches deep in this pot. If, after cooking, this pot of stew were placed in a 40 F refrigerator, it would take well over 36 hours to cool the center portion below 50 F. This would give plenty of time for a healthy growth of unhealthy microorganisms which could result in a sick community following the fund raiser.
An alternative is to divide the stew into two six-gallon pots and put them both in an ice-water bath to chill (see illustration) before refrigerating. The stew must be stirred frequently for uniform cooling. Cover as soon as possible. By using the ice bath and frequently stirring, the temperature can be brought down from 140 F to around 75 F in one hour.
Now place the stew in shallow containers and refrigerate. Continue to stir frequently until the product reaches 45 F.
Reheating
Be sure the food you're reheating has been handled and stored properly. Heating may not destroy all the microorganisms in food that was left at room temperature or stored too long. Heat may not destroy toxins produced by some types of bacteria. If you are in doubt about the safety of the food, it is always best to throw it out.
When reheating soup, liquids and foods in sauces or gravy, always stir before as well as during and after microwaving. Stir these foods when reheating on a conventional range as well.
Allow microwave reheated foods to stand briefly before eating them.
Reheated foods should reach 165 F to ensure that microorganisms are destroyed. Food should steam throughout, not just around the edges. It is nearly a simmering temperature. When microwave cooking, the center bottom of the plate or utensil containing the food should be very hot to the touch.
Thorough reheating to an internal temperature of 165 F or above will kill microorganisms that may have grown during storage. However, foods that have been improperly stored or otherwise mishandled cannot be made safe by reheating.
Foodborne Illness Strikes—Now What?
When foodborne illness strikes, see a doctor or get to a hospital if the symptoms are severe or if the victim is young, elderly or suffers from a chronic illness. Do not destroy suspect foods, but make certain they will not be eaten by someone else. Suspect foods may be tested to identify the cause of a foodborne illness.
If you suspect botulism, get medical help immediately! Botulinum toxin attacks the nervous system, causing double vision, trouble swallowing and difficult breathing.
Generally, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps characterize foodborne illness, but symptoms vary from microbe to microbe and with the amount of contaminants actually eaten. Symptoms usually appear in six to 48 hours, but they can show up much sooner, sometimes even within half an hour. For mild cases of food poisoning, maintain liquid intake to replace fluids lost through vomiting and diarrhea.
Glossary
Amino Acids: The substances which make up (the building blocks) of proteins.
Bacteria: This is the scientific term for a large group of microorganisms, only some of which produce disease. Many others are active in processes beneficial or not harmful to human, animal and plant life.
Carrier: An individual who harbors an infectious agent in his or her body, and can transmit it to others, but exhibits no symptoms of disease.
Clean: Free of visible soil but not necessarily free of disease-causing microorganisms.
Contamination: The unintended presence of harmful substances or microorganisms, especially in food.
Cross-contamination: The transfer of harmful microorganisms from one food to another by means of a nonfood surface such as utensils, equipment or human hands.
Danger zone: The temperature range between 40 and 140 F (4.4 & 60 C) within which most microorganisms experience their best growth and reproduction.
Disinfectant: An agent that kills the growing forms, but not necessarily the spores, of microorganisms; especially for use on inanimate surfaces.
Foodborne disease: An illness which implicates foods as its source. This includes foods which support the growth of microorganisms as well as those which merely serve as carriers for a microbial agent.
Foodborne illness: Disease or injury occurring as a result of consumption of contaminated food.
Food poisoning: Intoxication or infection caused by consumption of contaminated food.
Germ: Microorganisms, particularly pathogens.
Hazard: To run the risk of; to expose oneself to.
Microorganisms: Forms of life that can be seen only with the aid of a microscope, including bacteria, viruses, yeasts, algae and single-celled animals.
Modified Atmosphere Package: An atmosphere in which most of the oxygen has been replaced with carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
Mold: A fungus that causes mold.
Pathogen: Any disease-producing agent, usually a living microorganism.
Pathogenic: Capable of producing disease.
Perishable: Food subject to quick decay or spoilage, unless it is kept under proper conditions.
Sanitary: Free of disease-causing microorganisms and other harmful substances.
Shelf life: Length of time a product can be stored and still retain quality and remain safe.
Spore: An inactive, resistant, resting or reproductive body that can produce a new vegetative individual in a favorable environment.
Sterile: Free from all living organisms, especially microorganisms.
Toxic: Poisonous.
Toxin: A poison. Specifically, a poison produced by a living microorganism.
Vacuum packaging: The removal of oxygen from inside a package.
Virus: Any of a large group of infectious agents, lacking independent metabolism and requiring a living host in order to reproduce, consisting of DNA or RNA in a protein shell.
Yeast: Any of various fungi capable of fermenting carbohydrate.
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Those Foods Safely]
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HE-492 (Revised), Reviewed December 2006
