Family feasts

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• Safe family feasts
• How can I make sure my food is safe?
• Other good tips

Safe family feasts

Birthdays, parties and anniversaries are all great occasions to catch up with a large group of family and friends, but there’s one unwelcome guest you don’t want stopping by – food poisoning.

Entertaining and cooking for more people than normal can increase the risk from food poisoning.

Fortunately these special occasions don’t need to be a time of woe and tummy aches!

Why do I need to take particular care when cooking for bigger groups?

The average home kitchen isn’t designed for large volume cooking, so usual good practice such as temperature control or not mixing raw and cooked foods can be neglected. There can also be leftovers which if not handled properly can cause illness.

How can I make sure my food is safe?

Following a few simple, commonsense rules can dramatically reduce the risk of food-borne illness.

Plan your meals:

• Don't prepare foods too far in advance of eating.
• Ensure you have plenty of fridge and freezer space.
• Minimise the amount of time food is left at room temperature, eg if you are serving salads keep them in the fridge until ready to serve.

Temperature control:

• The bacteria that cause food poisoning grow rapidly between 5oC and 60oC, this is commonly referred to as the temperature danger zone”. Keep cold food in the fridge until you are ready to cook or serve; serve hot foot steaming hot.
• Don’t leave foods in the temperature danger zone for longer than 2 hours.
• Make sure food is cooked thoroughly before serving. Cook poultry, minced meats, and sausages until well done, right through to the centre. No pink should be left.
• Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible.
• If reheating leftovers, reheat to steaming hot.

Prevent cross contamination of food:

• Separate raw and cooked food.
• Remember to wash your hands thoroughly in hot soapy water and dry them before preparing food and after touching raw meat, especially chicken, and other raw foods.
• Thoroughly clean all utensils, equipment, surfaces and tea towels after preparing raw food and before contact with other food.
• Store sea food, raw meat and chicken at the bottom of the fridge so it can’t drip onto other foods.
• Keep pets and animals out of the kitchen.
• Do not prepare food for yourself or others if you are ill, especially if suffering from diarrhoea.
  

Other good tips

Do not overload refrigerators, as this reduces cooling efficiency.

Cover food in the refrigerator.

Thaw frozen food correctly - in the fridge or microwave or sink filled with water.

Consider using a meat thermometer to make sure food is cooked right through, for example the core temperature of a whole turkey or chicken should reach 82oC.

Remember the "2-hour rule" when entertaining with a large meal or buffet. Don’t let perishable foods linger for longer than two hours in the danger zone.

Only keep refrigerated leftovers for 3 days and reheat until streaming hot.

Also on this site

• BBQ food safety