19 December 2008, 08/292
Cook safely this C
hristmas!
Don’t spend Christmas nursing a dodgy stomach! Take some food
safety tips from West Lancashire District Council to make sure 2009
is a healthy one.
Traditionally, most people will spend the festive season eating
turkey and nibbling on party food, yet it’s a peak time of year for
food poisoning cases. This is when the leftovers are not as
appetising as they should be or meats are not cooked properly in
the festive rush period!
But by following the District Council’s advice, you can ensure
that you don’t suffer.
Top tips include:
- Keep cooked and raw foods separate on
different shelves in the fridge
- Keep raw meat and poultry, or defrosting
food, at the bottom of your fridge to stop juices dripping into the
salad tray
- Make sure frozen turkeys or other poultry are
properly thawed before cooking
- Keep your fridge temperature between 0°c and
5°c
- Refrigerate cooked food as soon as it is cool
and within one and a half hours
- Always follow the storage and cooking
instructions provided
- If you are stuffing the turkey, stuff the
neck end only and calculate the stuffing weight into the overall
cooking time
- Poultry, sausages, and chopped and minced
meat should be thoroughly cooked. Check there are no pink bits in
the middle and that the juices run clear
- Make sure leftovers are not reheated more than once and
that they are piping hot when reheated
Cllr Geoff Hammond, Portfolio Holder for Community Services,
said: "We sometimes tend to overindulge when it comes to food at
Christmas time so we want to make sure that everyone can eat their
way safely through the festivities! By following our top tips it
will hopefully put a stop to dodgy tummies or food poisoning
cases."
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