Food Safety Advice for Christmas Dinner
Preparing Christmas dinner for the whole family is never an easy task. In fact, studies show that thousands of people get ill with stress every year, because they’re that worried about Christmas dinner! Here at the Food Hygiene Blog, all we’re concerned about is your safety, so here are some tips for staying safe this Christmas.
Don’t overcompensate; although it may feel like you’re feeding an army – you’re not (I expect). Although more may feel safer than less, the fact is that cramming too much food into the fridge will probably mean that none of it will be kept cold enough. Also bear in mind that smaller turkeys are much easier to prepare and cook than big turkeys; buy enough for your family, but don’t go crazy! If you have a large family, consider two smaller birds rather than one huge one! When storing all the food away, remember to keep raw meat separate from every other food – preferably in a separate container at the bottom of the fridge, so it can’t drip on other food!
If you’re planning a buffet for Boxing Day, don’t put everything out at once. Keep things in the fridge for most the day, then bring them out in small amounts for people to eat. Once the food on the table is gone, replace it with food fresh from the fridge, or the oven. Not only will it taste better, it’ll be much safer too. If you’re reheating turkey from the night before, make certain it’s piping hot the whole way through before you serve it – don’t reheat it more than once either!
Tags: christmas dinner, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, turkey, xmas