What?! Alter Nanny's Eggnog Recipe?

Francine L. Shaw CP-FS, CFSM, FSP, FMP 

Food Safety Training Solutions, Inc

12.01.2015

I love the holiday season. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day... food, food, food and more food! And, I LOVE food…meat, vegetables, fruit, cookies, desserts and don’t forget the drinks! One of my favorites, EGGNOG (spiked eggnog)…

Nanny’s Eggnog recipe most likely needs a Safety Update (and, before you say it – NO alcohol does NOT kill the bacteria). I love my Nanny’s eggnog, what do I do?! Pasteurized shelled eggs are an option, if you have access to them. If not you’ll need to go another route.

The key is to heat the eggs to 160°F in order to kill the bacteria.

Ahhhh, but the savvy egg-eater would say that this would make a runny egg an omelet; and, they would be right. However, simple alterations to the recipe can fix this problem. Eggs harden when their proteins coagulate, so in order for them to stay runny, their proteins must remain separate. This can be achieved by diluting the egg with something like milk or sugar.

The magic number is two tablespoons of sugar per white. If yolks and whites are being cooked together the American Egg board recommends ¼ cup of liquid or sugar per egg. This mixture can then be heated to 160°F and it will not harden. 

Following this recommendation will not only keep your eggnog safe, but you can refer to it for other recipes containing raw eggs as well. No need to change the recipes, just combine the ingredients in a different order.

Now, let’s talk about another source of Salmonella. As I mentioned before I LOVE food, anything sweet is my weakness (my dentist is cringing right now).

Eggs are the boring ingredient that goes into many of these cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats. Eggs are often added quickly then we move on to something more exciting… Chocolate chips! 

When you purchase your eggs commercially there are regulations in place, so you can expect the exterior of the egg and the carton to have met certain standards. However, Salmonella can live inside the shell. This means you need to be careful.

I’m not going to tell you to not eat raw cookie dough or you will never read anything else I write. What I am going to say is, do it at your own risk. None of you want to spend the holiday snuggled up to the toilet on the bathroom floor.  Barf Humbug! 

Enjoy the season and everything it has to offer – SAFELY!

Let's Talk Turkey

SAFE THAWING

Turkeys must be kept at a safe temperature during the thawing process. While frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely. However, as soon as it begins to thaw, any bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to grow again.

A package of frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature. Even though the center of the package may still be frozen, the outer layer of the food is in the "Danger Zone" between 41°F and 135°F — at a temperature where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly.

There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave oven.

Refrigerator Thawing

Plan ahead: allow approximately 24 hours for each four to five pounds in a refrigerator set at 41°F or below. Place the turkey in a container to prevent the juices from dripping on other foods.

Cold Water Thawing

Allow about 30 minutes per pound.

First be sure the turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent cross-contamination and to prevent the turkey from absorbing water, resulting in a watery product.

Set the wrapped turkey under a steady stream of cold tap water 70°F, until thawed. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed.

Microwave Thawing

Follow the microwave oven manufacturer's instruction when defrosting a turkey. Plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed.

A turkey thawed in the microwave must be cooked immediately.

SAFE STUFFING

Regionally in the U.S., it's called by various names: stuffing, filling, or dressing. The ingredients used in stuffing are often regional as well. Usually based on a bread mixture, other ingredients such as grains, pasta, fruits, vegetables, shellfish, sausage, giblets, and nuts are also used. The stuffing is then spooned into the cavity of whole poultry or a pocket cut into a solid piece of meat, or spread on a flat piece of meat and then rolled. Because stuffing is an excellent medium for bacterial growth, it's important to handle it safely and cook it to a safe minimum internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer. Here are some common questions consumers ask.

How do you safely prepare stuffing?

Stuffing should not be prepared ahead. The dry and wet ingredients for stuffing can be prepared ahead of time and chilled. However, do not mix wet and dry ingredients until just before spooning the stuffing mixture into a poultry cavity, in/on other meat, or into a casserole. If stuffing a whole turkey, chicken, or other bird, spoon the stuffing in loosely - about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound. The stuffing should be moist, not dry, because heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment.

How do you safely cook stuffing?

The stuffed meat, poultry or stuffing in a casserole should be placed immediately after preparation in an oven set no lower than 325°F. A food thermometer should be used to ensure that the stuffing reaches the safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F. If the stuffing is inside whole poultry, take the poultry out of the oven and let it stand 20 minutes before removing the stuffing. Refrigerate cooked poultry and stuffing within 2 hours.

Can you prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it?

Do not refrigerate uncooked stuffing. If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the cooked stuffing to 165°F just as for all leftovers. Do not stuff whole poultry with leftover cooked stuffing.

It is safe to freeze uncooked stuffing. Ingredients can be combined, put into a shallow container, and frozen immediately. To use it safely, do not thaw it before cooking. Cook the frozen stuffing until it reaches 165°F.

Should you precook ingredients used in a stuffing?

If you plan to prepare stuffing using raw meat, poultry, or shellfish, you should precook the raw ingredients before stuffing the item to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from bacteria that may be found in raw ingredients.

SAFE COOKING

 A food thermometer should be used to ensure a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F has been reached to destroy bacteria and prevent foodborne illness.

Many variables can affect the roasting time of a whole turkey:

1. Set the oven temperature no lower than 325°F. Preheating is not necessary.

2. Be sure the turkey is completely thawed. Times are based on fresh or thawed birds at a refrigerator temperature of 41°F or below.

3. Place turkey breast-side up on a flat wire rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep.

4. For optimum safety, cook stuffing in a casserole. If stuffing your turkey, mix ingredients just before stuffing it; stuff loosely. Additional time is required for the turkey and stuffing to reach a safe minimum internal temperature (see chart).

5. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a food thermometer. The temperature of the turkey and the center of the stuffing must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F. Check the temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

6. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.

We wish you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Reduce Up to 99% of Present Pathogens on Your Next Grocery Day

During the 1990’s grocery stores began offering reusable bags in an effort to reduce the environmental costs of plastic and paper grocery bags. The trend caught on and many Americans enjoy the benefits of using them. While ecologically friendly, many people are unaware of the physical dangers of reusable grocery bags if not properly washed. Reusable bags are often made of various plastics, canvas, or woven synthetic fibers - all of which can transfer harmful bacteria to contents if they not properly cleaned and maintained.

These bags are typically taken to the market time after time filled with everything from raw beef and poultry to ready-to-eat foods such as heads of lettuce or apples. Washing the reusable bags after use can eliminate harmful pathogens such as E.coli or Salmonella by 99.9% according to *STOP Foodborne Illness.

The Breakdown

• Reusable grocery bags are bags made of plastic, canvas, or woven synthetic fibers.

• Beginning in the 1990’s, supermarkets began offering reusable grocery bags in an effort to reduce the environmental costs of plastic and paper grocery bags.

• Reusable grocery bags tend to go unwashed after carrying raw meat products and have been linked to an increase in E. coli infections.

• By washing reusable bags either by hand or in a washing machine after use, present pathogens can be eliminated by 99.9%.

This principal also applies to other areas that will come into contact with your food. Lunch boxes, for example, should also be washed after every use. Another common mistake is to wash poultry in the kitchen sink, spreading harmful bacteria to large areas around and in the sink - potentially causing contamination. There is no need to rinse your poultry. When poultry is cooked to a temperature of 165⁰F or higher, the bacteria is reduced to levels that make the poultry safe to consume.

A few food safety tips for a healthy home:

·       The temperature of the refrigerator in your kitchen should be kept at 37⁰F-38⁰F. This will keep your cold food temperatures around the recommended 41⁰F or below. 

·       After you open a product, such as lunchmeat or potato salad, be certain to store it for seven days or less. The day you open the product is counted as day one. After seven days the potential exists for enough bacteria growth to make you ill. If the temperature of your refrigeration unit is off by even one or two degrees it is going to affect the safety of your food.

·       Clean the aerator on your kitchen faucet. Your spigot in your kitchen is typically the dirtiest in the house. Is this where you rinse fill your mop bucket AND rinse your vegetables? YUCK!

·       Don’t use sponges in your kitchen, as they harbor potentially harmful bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella.

*STOP Foodborne Illness is a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne illness by advocating for sound public policy, building public awareness, and assisting those impacted by foodborne illness.

STOP’s Stance

• STOP believes that reusable grocery bags are not a problem in themselves; it is the lack of consumer education on how to properly use them that causes foodborne illness.

• STOP encourages educating consumers on the risks of spreading pathogens through reusable bags and producing reusable bags with a clearly visible message and instructions to wash reusable bags after each use. This simple act could greatly reduce the illnesses spread through bags while maintaining the environmental agenda.