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Thurston County Extension

Food Safety: Holiday Foods

The Olympian, December 2, 1998

December is often one of the busiest months of the year. A calendar filled with holiday food festivities - dinner parties, buffets, and special events - represent numerous opportunities to practice the principles of food safety with your family and closest friends.

This week, our column features the most frequently asked questions about food safety and holiday entertaining.

QUESTION: How do I keep food looking good and safe to eat for several hours during a holiday buffet?

ANSWER: There is a simple food safety guideline that goes– "Keep hot food hot and cold food cold." That’s easy to remember but using the guideline may seem at first a little more complicated during a buffet. Think about some of the things you see when visiting a restaurant serving food buffet style.

Here are a few things that are routinely done in restaurant settings that you can do at home.

Serve small bowls or small trays of food and replace them frequently. Set out amounts of food that you believe will be eaten in about 30 minutes or less.

Use warming trays or slow cookers to keep food hot. Keep cold food cold by nesting the containers in bowls of ice.

Remember that any bacteria multiply rapidly in foods held in the Danger Zone (40°F - 140°F). Use a thermometer to make sure that hot foods are held at 140°F or higher and that cold foods are held at 40°F of lower.

Also, remember to avoid adding fresh food to food that has been sitting out.

QUESTION: We’re in charge of the family pot luck holiday dinner this year. Do you have suggestions on safe decisions about food to serve and how to decide who brings what to our dinner?

ANSWER: The guideline to remember here is the Two Hour Rule. Keeping food in the Danger Zone for more than 2 hours is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness. The two hours include preparation time for foods that aren’t cooked or foods that need more preparation steps after cooking. Relatives traveling long distances could bring non-perishable foods like breads and cookies. Friends living close by could bring recipes that contain meat, poultry, seafood, or dairy products.

Some preliminary thinking about traveling time when making the food assignments and letting people know that you’re committed to food safety for the get-together can make lots of positive differences. Talk with them about using coolers during travel and wrapping hot food items in foil and heavy towels to keep them out of the danger zone. Finally, plan to serve food shortly after guests have arrived – Keeping Hot Things Hot and Cold Things Cold.

QUESTION: What should I do with the food if my guests are late?

ANSWER: Use the Two-Hour Rule to make your decision. If you guests will be more than 2 hours late, refrigerate the food and reheat the food to 165°F when they arrive for dinner. When you refrigerate, be careful to cool foods quickly. Cut large cuts of meat or poultry into smaller pieces and place thick foods like soups in shallow pans for cooling.

B. Susie Craig

Area Faculty

WSU Cooperative Extension Thurston County

WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination.  Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension Office.   Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the county of Thurston.

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