Christmas can mean both a larger amount of food and more diners than you are used to.
The food may be out front longer than usual and also often goes back and forth between the fridge and the dining table for a few days. There are perfect conditions for getting bacteria into it.
Here are some solid tips to avoid food poisoning as an unwelcome Christmas present.
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Heat properly
Take extra care with hygiene:
— It’s good advice in general, to actually think about it. We have a lot of bacteria on our hands, so it is good to wash our hands both before cooking and before eating, says Karin Landströmwho is a lecturer in nutrition science.
— Especially if you have handled raw meat and the like and that you also really wash cutting boards and knives, because bacteria like proteins.
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Be careful with the temperature:
— If you heat food, you should preferably bring it up to at least 72 degrees. Now people don’t stand there with a thermometer, but that’s the advice they usually give.
— During Christmas, you may also have food that has been sitting out for quite a long time and is only lukewarm. It’s a perfect place for bacteria to start growing.
Heat only once:
— In general, you should not reheat food over and over again. Food that has been in the fridge and has been reheated should preferably not be put back into the fridge afterwards, says Karin Landström.
— So you can try not to produce more food than will be consumed.
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“Different Occasion”
This is especially true, she continues, if you heat the food in the microwave, where it is a little more difficult to get an even temperature.
You should also be extra careful with protein-rich food that is not reheated at all, for example egg halves.
— Christmas is a slightly different occasion. I think that it is a risk factor, that you think that “it usually goes well otherwise”, says Karin Landström.
— So you can think about it in general, that you handle the food a little differently as well.
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