Risky Bites Take Precautions To Avoid Poisoning Your Holiday Guests

The holidays are a time for sharing, a time for giving.

But the last thing you want to share with others is your germs - and you certainly don’t want to give anyone a case of food poisoning.

This time of year, with the party season in full swing, it’s particulary important to pay attention to some basic food safety practices.

“The rules for the growth of microorganisms are not suspended just because it’s Christmas,” says Val Hillers, extension food specialist with Washington State University. “And it’s not a time when anybody wants to be sick.”

Over the holidays, hosts tend to make special sorts of foods that they’re not as familiar with. And they serve them to more people than usual, including some who may be at higher risk for food-borne illness - the very young, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems, such as patients who are undergoing cancer treatment or have AIDS.

Even people who use antacids are at increased risk, says Tamara Holyk, a Vancouver, Wash., restaurant inspector whose Pug Dog Enterprises produces home food safety videos. “The acids in our stomach are one of the first lines of defense,” she explains.

But given the array of rich goodies on the typical holiday buffet table, it’s easy to see why someone might reach for the Pepcid AC.

“When we’re entertaining, we tend to make little meatballs, things like that, as opposed to, say, potato chips,” says Hillers. “You see more casserole-type things, the kinds of things bugs like to grow in.

“We become like restaurants, in a sense. We do some higher-risk type foods and we don’t have the kind of equipment that restaurants have.”

Probably the biggest problem is letting foods sit out too long at room temperature. Two hours is the longest that cooked foods should be left in the “danger zone” - between 40 degrees and 140 degrees. After that, bacteria begin to multiply rapidly.

While meat, poultry and seafood are the most obvious risks, other foods are susceptible as well, including many dairy products (particularly soft cheeses), hard-boiled eggs, custard and cream pies (including pumpkin), pastries with meat, cream or cheese fillings, and cooked onions, potatoes, pasta, rice and beans (yes, even the refried beans in that five-layer dip).

“I saw a recipe in a magazine for a seafood dip that said to serve it at room temperature, and I couldn’t believe it,” says Lisa Richter, Holyk’s partner in Pug Dog.

Hot foods can be kept warm in chafing dishes and crockpots, or on spare burners. Cold foods can be put on plates and placed in trays of ice (but not directly on the ice itself, which could contaminate the food).

If that’s not possible, put out only small amounts of food at a time and replace when necessary with fresh plates from the fridge. Just be careful not to put any leftovers that have been sitting out back on the new plates.

What if there’s not enough room for everything in the refrigerator? Food can be safely stored outside (covered, of course), or in a garage or other unheated room, as long as the temperature remains below 40 degrees.

During the recent power outages, Hillers says, “Everybody in Spokane discovered their unheated places to keep their food.”

Some foods simply should be avoided, such as dishes with uncooked eggs. Richter says her family has stopped serving their traditional divinity recipe because it contains raw eggs.

“A lot of the holidays is based on tradition,” she says. “You’ve got Grandma’s recipes, but Grandma’s recipes may not necessarily be safe any longer.”

With eggnog, for example, the best bet is to buy it commercially prepared and pasteurized, or use a recipe calling for cooked eggs (like the one at the end of this story).

And - regardless of how strong the temptation - eat no cookie dough before it’s baked.

Raw oysters are another no-no, says Holyk. And if you’re cooking your prime rib rare (to an internal temperature of 130 degrees), don’t insert a meat thermometer until the outside is brown; otherwise, bacteria from the surface could be carried inside the meat.

Even if foods are kept at the proper temperatures, there are no guarantees if they’ve already been contaminated in the kitchen.

What’s called “cross-contamination” is a common problem, says Bev Hannon, a registered dietitian at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene.

“People might use a knife to chop raw meat, then use it for raw vegetables,” she says. “If you use your mixer for something with raw eggs, like cookie dough, you need to wash the beaters well before making mashed potatoes.”

Hannon and other experts recommend not only washing cutting boards with soap and water, but sanitizing them with a bleach solution (about 1 tablespoon bleach to 1 gallon water). Mix some up and keep it in a clean spray bottle for convenience.

For extra safety, Hannon says, reserve a separate cutting board for meats. Kootenai Medical Center uses green cutting boards for fruits and vegetables and red ones for meats, she says - a coincidental bit of Christmas color.

People preparing food should thoroughly wash their hands with hot water and soap before cooking, and after touching anything that could cause contamination, like raw meat - or their own bodies, where bacteria also grow.

“If you scratch your nose and then chop vegetables, you’ll contaminate them,” Richter says.

Nibbling while cooking can also cause problems, if you use a spoon - or, even worse, a finger - to put food in your mouth (where all those germs live), then dip it back into the food again.

“It’s OK to taste, but you should use a separate spoon each time,” says Hannon. Or, at least, wash it well between tastings.

The problem is compounded by cooks with colds who insist that the show must go on. While anyone who’s ill should avoid cooking for others, many diehard hosts don’t let a few sniffles stop them.

Even for those who are healthy, Hillers recommends disposable plastic gloves. Be sure to use a fresh pair after touching anything that could be a contaminant.

“It’s really a pretty good idea when you think about it - your gift to your guests,” Hillers says. “You would like a food handler in a deli to be doing that.”

She also suggests setting out serving spoons, tongs and toothpicks on the buffet table to help keep people’s fingers out of the food.

And food safety, Hillers adds, isn’t entirely up to the cook: “The nicest thing guests can do is wash their hands really well before coming.”

Classic Cooked Eggnog

Recipe from the American Egg Board.

6 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

1 quart milk, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

In large saucepan, beat together eggs, sugar and salt, if desired. Stir in 2 cups of the milk (for faster preparation, milk may be heated first until very warm). Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film and temperature reaches at least 160 degrees.

Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 2 cups milk and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, pour into a bowl or pitcher and add, if desired, one or more garnishes and stir-ins such as chocolate curls, cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, maraschino cherries, orange slices, peppermint sticks or candy canes, sherbet or ice cream, whipping cream, whipped, fruit juice or nectar, rum, whiskey, brandy (plain or flavored) or liqueur. Serve immediately.

Yield: 1-1/2 quarts, or 12 (1/2-cup) servings.

Microwave instructions: In a 2-quart liquid measure or bowl, beat together eggs, sugar and salt, if desired, until thoroughly blended. Set aside. In 1-quart liquid measure or bowl, cook 2 cups of the milk on full power until bubbles form at edges, about 5-6 minutes. Stir into egg mixture. Cook on 50-percent power until mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film and temperature reaches at least 160 degrees, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 cups milk and vanilla. Continue as above.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Charles Waltmire

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FOOD SAFETY INFO For further food safety information: Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline (1-800-535-4555) or the FDA Seafood Hotline (1-800-332-4010). A free booklet, “Chef CookSmart’s Guide to Safe Food Preparation & Handling,” is available from the Industry Council on Food Safety by calling (800) 266-5762. Pug Dog Enterprises offers three home food safety videos: “Happy, Healthy Holidays,” “Are You Making Your Family Sick?” and “Barbecues, Picnics & Potlucks.” Each sells for $19.95, plus $3.95 shipping and handling (Washington residents add $1.82 sales tax). Send checks or money orders to Pug Dog Enterprises, 11500 NE 76th St., #A3-244, Vancouver, WA 98662, or call (800) 814-3475.