Here are some special tips for keeping your holiday meals safe.
Cleanliness
- Keeping your hands clean during food preparation will go a long way in helping keep your food safe.
- Here are the five rules for hand washing:
- Wet your hands with running water, then apply soap.
- Rub hands together to make a lather. Be sure to wash the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Rinse your hands with running water.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel.
- Clean and sanitize all food preparation surfaces and all utensils.
- Clean surfaces with soap and hot water and then sanitize with commercial sanitizer or sanitizing wipes.
- Campylobacter and salmonella bacteria found in poultry can survive on countertops and other surfaces for up to 32 hours.
- Repeat the above steps after handling raw turkey.
Food preparation
- Keep meat and poultry separate from produce and other foods.
- Prepare vegetables and salad ingredients BEFORE preparing raw meat or poultry.
- Do not wash or rinse raw turkey to prevent cross-contamination with other foods.
- Instead, pat the turkey with a damp paper towel and immediately wash your hands.
- The only way to kill bacteria is by cooking meat and poultry to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Do not leave food out!
- According to the USDA – Food left out at room temperature for over two hours is deemed unsafe.
- Serve small portions and leave the rest in a warm oven or refrigerator.
We hope these tips will help you and keep your family safe during the holiday season.
If you or someone in your family is not feeling well, bring them to one of our DoctorsCare facilities.At DoctorsCare, our providers are specifically trained in Urgent Care and Emergency Medicine. Visit one of our two conveniently located offices in Clarksville. We accept walk-in patients of all ages during all hours of operation. No appointment is necessary! Walk in, feel better!