Serve Holiday Buffets without "Uninvited Guests"

By Amy Mears, MS RD

As we approach the annual holiday season, we think of food, family and friends. A popular way to entertain and to celebrate holidays or any party occasion is to cook a great meal and serve it on a buffet. However, this type of food service, where foods are left out for long periods, leaves the door open for "uninvited guests" like bacteria which can cause foodborne illness. Festive times for giving and sharing should not include sharing foodborne illness. Here are some tips to help you have a safe holiday party.

Clean - Wash hands and surfaces often.
Separate - Don't cross-contaminate.
Cook - Cook to proper temperatures.
Chill - Refrigerate promptly.

Make sure you have suitable equipment to get the job done. This should include cutting boards, utensils, food thermometers, cookware (a roasting pan large enough to hold your turkey), shallow containers for storage, and soap and paper towels for clean up. Plan ahead to ensure that you'll have enough storage space in the refrigerator and/or freezer. In the refrigerator, air needs to circulate to keep the temperature at 40° F or below.

When You Shop

• Avoid canned goods that are dented, leaking, bulging or rusted. These are the warning signs that dangerous bacteria may be growing in the can.
• Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags and in your refrigerator.
• Buy cold foods last. Plan to drive directly home from the grocery store. Always refrigerate perishable food within two hours.
• If you choose to buy a frozen bird you may do so at any time, but make sure you have adequate storage space in your freezer. If you buy a fresh turkey, be sure you purchase it only 1-2 days before cooking. Do not buy a pre-stuffed fresh turkey.

Working in the Kitchen

• Make sure that anyone who helps in the kitchen knows the basic food safety rules--clean, separate, cook and chill.
• When a crowd is over and food preparation gets hectic, stock up on paper towels so everyone can use and dispose of them quickly. Sponges and kitchen towels can easily soak up bacteria and contaminate other foods. Encourage everyone to wash their hands often with soap and warm water when helping with food.
• Try to keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible to keep it at the correct temperature.

Foodborne Bacteria

Bacteria are everywhere but certain types of them like to "crash the party". Staph, Clostridia, and Listeria are found frequently on people's hands, cooled foods and in refrigerators. Unlike microorganisms that cause food to spoil, harmful or pathogenic bacteria cannot be smelled or tasted. Preventing them to multiply is safe food handling.

Staphylococcus aureus: Staphylococcus ("staph") bacteria are found on our skin, on infected cuts, pimples, and in our noses and throats. They are spread by our hands. Prevention includes washing hands and utensils before preparing and handling foods and not letting prepared foods -- particularly cooked meats, spreads, dips and mixed salads -- sit at room temperature more than two hours. Staph bacteria produce toxins in food and are resistant to heat, refrigeration and freezing. Reheating or cooking temperature-abused foods that contain staph toxin will not make them safe again (throw temperature-abused foods out).

Clostridium perfringens: "Perfringens" is called the "cafeteria germ" because it may be found in foods served in quantity and left for long periods of time on inadequately maintained steam tables or at room temperature. Prevention includes dividing large portions of cooked foods such as beef, turkey, gravy, dressing, stews and casseroles into smaller portions for serving and cooling. Keep cooked foods hot or cold, not lukewarm.

Listeria monocytogenes: Because Listeria bacteria multiply, although slowly, at refrigeration temperatures, these bacteria can be found in cold foods typically served on buffets like deli meats and soft cheeses. To avoid serving foods containing Listeria, follow "keep refrigerated" label directions and carefully observe "sell by" and "use by" dates on processed products, and thoroughly reheat frozen or refrigerated processed meat and poultry products before consumption.

Safe Food Handling

Always wash your hands before and after handling food. Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean. Always serve food on clean plates. Do not use unwashed plates that previously held raw meat and poultry. If not careful, bacteria that may have been present in raw meat juices can cross contaminate the new food to be served.

Cook Thoroughly

If you are cooking foods ahead of time for your party, be sure to cook foods thoroughly to safe minimum internal temperatures.

Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops may be cooked to 145° F.
All cuts of pork to 160° F.
Ground beef, veal and lamb to 160° F.
All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165° F.

Preparation

The day before Thanksgiving: Wet and dry stuffing ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated separately. This may also be done on Thanksgiving Day. Mix ingredients just before placing the stuffing inside the turkey cavity or into a casserole dish.

Thanksgiving Day

Cooking the stuffing outside the bird in a casserole dish is highly recommended. Using a casserole dish prevents the stuffing from being exposed to bacteria in the turkey cavity and the bird will cook more quickly and evenly.

If you choose to stuff your turkey, stuff loosely. The stuffing should be moist, not dry, since heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment. Stuff the turkey just before putting it in the oven to cook.

Judging cooking time for your turkey will be easier if the following chart is used. The times listed are for a fresh or thawed turkey in an oven at 325° F. These times are approximate.

Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey.

A whole turkey is safe cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165° F throughout the bird. Check the safe internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. All turkey meat, including any that remains pink, is safe to eat as soon as all parts reach 165° F. The stuffing should reach 165° F, also, whether cooked inside the bird or in a separate dish.

When turkey is removed from the oven, let it stand 20 minutes. Remove stuffing and carve turkey.

Use Shallow Containers

If you will not be eating the food right away, divide cooked foods into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This encourages rapid, even cooling. Reheat hot foods to 165° F. Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter. Keep the rest of the food hot in the oven (set at 200 - 250° F) or cold in the refrigerator until serving time. In this way food will be held at a safe temperature for a longer period of time. REPLACE empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it. Many people's hands may have been taking food from the dish, which has also been sitting out at room temperature.

The Two-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.

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. Otherwise, use small serving trays and replace them.

Lovely Leftovers

Throw away all perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and casseroles, left at room temperature longer than two hours; one hour in air temperatures above 90 °F. This includes leftovers taken home from a restaurant. Some exceptions to this rule are foods such as cookies, crackers, bread and whole fruits. Whole roasts, hams and turkeys should be sliced or cut into smaller pieces or portions before storing them in the refrigerator or freezer. Turkey legs, wings and thighs may be left whole. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers in shallow containers. Wrap or cover the food.

Prioritizing your Refrigerated Storage

If you are running out of room in the refrigerator, make sure the most perishable foods are stored in it. This includes gravies, meats, stuffing and soups. Alternate cold holding environments should be 40° F or colder.

Knowing how to handle food for a crowd correctly will decrease the possibility of foodborne illness and ensure success of your buffet. Enjoy the wonderful season of holidays with good food, friends and family!