3. Be Cautious With Deli Meats
Holiday lunch buffets often feature sandwich options like deli meat. While unopened packages of deli meat can last up to two weeks in your fridge, once they’ve been opened — or if they’re from the deli counter instead of commercially sealed — you’ll only have three to five days to use them.
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If you’re serving any kind of deli meat, put out small amounts and refresh the buffet as needed, says Hutchings. These meats can be unsafe after just an hour or two outside the refrigerator.
4. Wash Raw Produce
Fruits and veggies are supposed to be good for us, so you probably think a nice tray of raw produce with some dip is a good option. And it is — as long as you wash it before slicing, chopping, or peeling.
It’s always best to wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. Produce with a firm surface, like apples or potatoes, can be scrubbed using a brush.
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Also remember to clean and sanitize your inner sink, countertops, and utensils before washing produce, to prevent cross-contamination. This is especially important for surfaces that have touched raw meat, poultry, or seafood, or any of their juices.
5. Don’t Let Roasts Rest Too Long
Remember Clostridium perfringens, the bacteria that sickens people each November and December? Well it’s commonly found in cooked foods that are served during the holidays, such as turkey and roast beef, according to the CDC.
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Letting those big roasts sit out at room temperature for more than two hours turns them into a breeding ground for C. perfringens. As a way to lower risk, consider carving the turkey or slicing other meats in the kitchen and putting half on a serving tray and refrigerating the rest immediately.
6. Use Pasteurized Eggs
Several holiday favorites — like eggnog — may contain raw eggs or yolks. Because of that, the CDC suggests using pasteurized eggs for these dishes.
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At the store, unpasteurized shell eggs are required to have safe handling instructions printed on the carton. If there aren’t any instructions printed, it means the eggs are pasteurized.
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Safe handling instructions read as follows: “Safe handling instructions: To prevent illness from bacteria: Keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.”
FDA recommendations state to only buy eggs that have been properly refrigerated. You should also open the carton and check for clean, uncracked shells.
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7. Refrigerate and Enjoy Leftovers Promptly
Immediately refrigerate any cut items such as salad or cut fruit for best quality and food safety.
If you’re taking leftovers home from a party or dinner, you’ll want to be aware how long they’ve been sitting out. Refrigerate them if it’s been close to two hours. And refrigerate or freeze them as soon as you get them home.
How long they will last depends on the type of food you have, but a good rule of thumb is to eat leftovers within three to four days. If you want to keep them longer, put them in the freezer and eat them within about one to two months.
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Whether you’re thawing them to reheat or taking them directly out of the fridge, do an inspection first, Hutchings adds. That’s true even if you put them in yesterday.
“Take a look and definitely smell what you’re going to reheat,” she says. Not every food has a telltale sign of being off, such as sourness or discoloration, but many times you may be able to detect if something is spoiled.
And like the old adage goes: When in doubt, throw it out.
The Takeaway
- The holiday season is full of delicious food, but food poisoning can put a damper on the festivities.
- Proper storage and preparation are key to prevent illness. Minimize risk by choosing pasteurized eggs, for example, and don’t leave food out for more than two hours.
- Try to eat your leftovers within three to four days of when they were prepared. Any longer than that and it might be best to toss them away.
