Don’t Let Foodborne Illness Crash Your Party

Stave off illness-causing bacteria with these simple food tips:

• Divide large portions of food into smaller portions to keep it at the right temperature. Keep hot food, such as turkey, gravy, dressings and casseroles, at 135˚F or above to avoid clostridium perfringens; keep cold food at 41˚F or below to avoid listeria. 

• Clean counters and dishes; wash your hands; and cook food thoroughly. Prevent the spread of salmonella and e. coli from raw meat and poultry onto foods that are served cold. Such actions also prevent staphylococcus from interrupting the party. 

• Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. After two hours reheat it to 165˚F or quickly cool back down to 41˚F.

• Reheat:  A rolling boil on the stove is a good sign that the food has reached 165˚F. When using the microwave to reheat, check the temperature in several places using a food thermometer.

• Cool:  To quickly get foods down to 41˚F, separate the food into small uncovered containers and place in the refrigerator. You can make an ice bath in your sink to cool soups and gravies.  Keep an eye on the ice level in the sink and stir the food often.  Remember to use your food thermometer to check that it has quickly dropped down to 41˚F.

• Throw out:  After 4 hours of sitting at room temperature bacteria has had time to reach unsafe levels and foods should be thrown out.

Turkey tips:

• A whole frozen turkey can be stored in your freezer at 0˚F for up to one year without appreciable loss in quality.

• Thawing: Thawing in the refrigerator is the preferred method. Allow one day for every five pounds. You can also thaw it in a clean sink. Place it in a heavy freezer bag secured with a twist tie and cover the bird with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Allow 6 to 9 hours for a 12 to 16 pound turkey and 9 to 11 hours for a 16 to 20 pound bird.

• Stuffing: Stuff the turkey right before putting it in the oven. Stuff the bird loosely, and check that the stuffing has reached 165˚F.

• Cooking: Use a food thermometer to check for an internal temperature of at least 165˚F. The best place to check is where the thigh joins the breast.  Thoroughly cooking poultry to 165˚F will kill naturally occurring bacteria such as salmonella.

For a free food thermometer, Aspen residents may stop by the Environmental Health Department on the second floor of City Hall.