Avoiding a Super Bowl Timeout — Follow Food Safety Rules Next Sunday

There is a timeout in football and also for Super Bowl hosts and hostesses who don’t heed basic rules of food safety — time out from work stemming from food-borne illnesses.

Some are surprised that Super Bowl Sunday ranks second behind only Thanksgiving as the day of the year when the most food is consumed. And like Thanksgiving, the large volumes of food left out for long periods of time increase the risk of food-borne illness — the reason food safety experts advise hosts and hostesses to show the same enthusiasm for food preparation as they do for their team.

“The threat is that you have a big party and leave food out for hours before you put it back into the cooler or refrigerator,” says Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food safety specialist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science.

In such cases, the end result could be food-borne illness.

A few simple rules of thumb can prevent a post-game spoiler.

First, plan carefully. Leave only nonperishable food items out for long periods. Safe choices include chips and dips with a tomato base — salsa dips first and foremost.

Some dips, notably ranch dips, are best avoided.

“It’s made with milk products and it will spoil,” Weese.

In cases where milk-derived dips are used, she recommends using small, shallow dishes. That way, there is less chance the dip will remain out for too long.

Along with chips, fruits and vegetables are good choices, Weese says. Also, while they’re more fattening, cookies, candies and cakes are also safe bets in terms of food safety.

Concentrate on serving these foods first and save the entrée, whether chicken wings or pizza, later. Never leave heated foods — or for that matter, cold cuts — out for any length of time.

“Take them out only when you’re ready to eat them, and store or dispose of anything that’s left behind,” Weese says.

She and other food safety experts also stress the two-hour rule — never leave temperature-sensitive foods out no more than two hours.

Indeed, instead of cooking, Weese advises ordering out for these entrees, timing these orders so that the food arrives just when you plan to eat.

Other simple rules of thumb include the following:

Hand washing — always wash your hands with soap and warm water before handling any food product.

Avoiding cross-contamination — make sure that raw meats do not come into contact with any utensil or surface where raw food likely will be placed.

If you plan to cook rather than order out, use a meat thermometer to make sure all of your foods are heated adequately. Color is never a guarantee that food has been adequately cooked, Weese says. As a general rule, steaks should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, while ground beef and chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at January 29, 2008 04:34 PM