Issue 129: Thanksgiving Food Safety and Storage: A Comprehensive Guide to a Healthy Holiday, Part 1.

If you are anything like me, you’re revving up for the holiday kickoff next Thursday - Thanksgiving! Many of us are planning not just the Big Feast, but several meals to feed our families as they come to stay with us. Or perhaps you’re supporting the main chef by providing a dish. Regardless, we’re all eager to nourish our people with food and presence.

With all the cooking and parties over the next month or so, it’s a great time to bone up on food safety. Nothing ruins a party like food poisoning!

You’ll want to tag or download this to support you throughout your holidays. Today we talk about food prep safety, and Thanksgiving Day you’ll have a quick primer on important cooking temps, leaving food out during the celebration, and leftovers. These are updated versions of one of my most popular newsletters, and critical information.

Please share Inner Workings or the downloadable guide with others who need to know!

And, as always, I invite your questions!

By the way, ServSafe training taught me the “Big Five” that are easily transmitted by food: Norovirus (what we think of as “food poisoning”), Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, and Hepatitis A virus. Good to know that you can avoid them by following this guide!

In Wellness,  Mary Virginia

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First Things First

First, and I’m calling it out because I know how the holidays get: If you are sick yourself with a cold, the flu, COVID, fever, the sniffles, sore throat, cough, digestive issues, etc. — you should not be cooking for anyone else. If the meal is not made to your standard or someone is disappointed because you didn’t make a particular dish, everyone will survive emotionally. I promise.

Sneezes and Coughs
They happen even to people who aren’t sick sometimes. Walk away/point away from the prep area and absolutely cover your mouth and nose.
Wash your hands thoroughly afterward!

Wash Your Hands When Handling Food (and lots of other times!)You think people know about proper hand washing, but even when they know they often don’t do it. Make your sous chefs wash, too.

Soap, very warm water, and 10-15 seconds of friction by rubbing hands together:

• As your first step in cooking;
• Every single time you use the bathroom, rub your eyes, blow your nose, touch your hair, eat, smoke, move dirty dishes, or touch something that isn’t for the dish you’re making;
• Between handling raw animal proteins and handling any other food; and
  really any time you are moving from raw animal proteins to anything else.
  • Raw animal products contain pathogenic bacteria and other bugs that can infect your other foods, or that others can touch unknowingly on the fridge, oven handle, cell phone - wherever.
• Use a clean towel, ideally a paper towel, to dry them.
• Don’t touch the faucet handle or bathroom door handle - use your elbow or a paper towel.

Food Storage: Before Cooking

Assuring your food is safe to consume is just as foundational as the food itself. Know how to ID unsafe cans and food, how to store food in the fridge, and how to thaw your turkey and other animal protein.  

Did You Know Most Food-Borne Botulism is Caused by Canned Food?
Botulism is a rare, but extremely serious illness caused by any one of three bacteria, most commonly Clostridium botulinum. The toxin it produces can grow in food, wounds, and the intestines of infants. It attacks the nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death without quick medical treatment. Unfortunately, improperly made or stored home-canned foods are the most common source.

The bacterium’s spores can grow in these environments: low or no oxygen (anaerobic); low acid; low sugar; low salt; a certain temperature range; a certain amount of water.

Note: Botulism doesn’t need oxygen to thrive, and heat kills it. Tune in next week, and keep the Inner Workings downloadable guide for cooking temperatures to keep your food safe.

Throw Out:

• Containers that don’t look right, or a container that spurts liquid or foam when you open it.
  
• Store bought canned food with dents, bulges, swollen tops, or leaks.
  
• Any food that looks discolored, moldy, or smells bad.
  
  

Refrigerated Storage
Store raw meats and seafood below cooked foods and fruits, vegetables, breads, etc. to prevent any juices dripping on them from above.​

Options for Thawing Frozen Foods Safely

• In the refrigerator, under 41ºF. Start a few days early for big things like roasts and turkeys!
  
  • Count 24 hours for small birds/roasts, 3 days for a 15lb turkey, longer for bigger ones.
    
• Under running cold water that is 70ºF or lower (not those big meats, though!)
  
• Microwave, but only if you plan to cook it right away.
  
• As part of the cooking process (e.g. frozen vegetables).
  
• Never thaw meat, fish, or poultry at room temperature:
  
  • The center will thaw more slowly than the exterior, and pathogens will grow at room temp. You can’t count on the cold of the interior to protect the exterior.
    
  • People forget to put the food away or cook it timely = pathogens!
    

Preparing the Meal

Now all the food is out and the cooking begins! Make sure you don’t accidentally introduce nasty little micro-visitors into your dishes.

Wash Vegetables and Fruit
Veg and fruit that have firm exteriors or rinds should be washed with soap, water, and friction and well rinsed.

Why, you ask? Because this will keep you from transferring pathogens from the exterior to the interior, e.g. when cutting citrus fruits or winter squash or peeling potatoes. Be sure to rinse all other fruit and vegetables thoroughly with running water.

Don’t Taste Your Food with the Same Implement You Use to Cook
Use a clean spoon or fork to taste a dish every single time to prevent pathogens from your saliva getting into the homemade cranberry sauce or the mac’n’cheese. Don’t count on the food being hot enough to kill them!

Keep Separate Cutting Boards and Containers for Raw and Cooked Foods
Raw meat/animal products and cooked foods must have their own separate cutting board, separate containers/pans/bowls, and separate part of the counter to avoid cross contamination.

Never, ever chop or store other foods (vegetables, fruits, breads, etc. etc.) on a cutting board or in a container that has had raw meat, seafood, or poultry on it. Dedicate their own chopping boards and containers to these (I’ll cut you some slack if the items being chopped will be cooking with the meat or poultry).

Don’t Keep Cleaning Supplies by the Food

• Cleaning chemicals and the bugs collected on rags and sponges can transfer to the food.
  
• Don’t reuse washcloths and tea towels used during meal prep after the meal. Put them in the wash.
  
  

See my Thanksgiving Day issue for your primer on cooking temperatures, food that’s left out during the meal, and leftovers!

Tip of the Week

A short walk after eating will help you balance your blood sugar, even if it’s just a ten minute stroll up and down the street. This can support you to prevent or manage illnesses related to blood sugar dysregulation, such as Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.

Walk with a friend, your family, or the dog! Listen to a podcast or music! Look up at the trees and the sky and experience the wonder and joy of those blessings you started to notice at the beginning of this newsletter.