Skip to main content

Keep your tailgate and homegate party food safe with these tips from the AD Council and USDA

It's football season and that means party food. Keep your hot foods hot and your cold foods cold. Don't let food sit out for more than 2 hours. At half time replace food that has been sitting out the first half of the game.

Visit FoodSafety.gov and learn how to keep your food safe from germs and bacteria. Keep your guest and family healthy be following food safe practices in your home.

I keep paper towels  and hand soap in an automatic dispenser in the bathroom. Each person can have a clean towel and throw it away when they are done. I also keep paper towels and liquid hand soap at the kitchen sink for guest to use.



Ad Council/USDA’s Top Tips for a Healthy Tailgate:
 
-       Bring water for cleaning if none will be available at the tailgating site. Pack clean, wet, disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

-       Carry cold perishable food like raw hamburger patties, sausages, and chicken in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, frozen gel packs, or containers of ice.

-       Be sure raw meat and poultry are wrapped securely to prevent their juices from cross-contaminating ready-to-eat food. If possible, store these foods near the bottom of the cooler, so that juices don’t contaminate other foods in the cooler.

-       If you can’t keep hot food hot during the drive to your tailgate, plan and chill the food in the refrigerator before packing it in a cooler. Reheat the food to 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

-       A general rule of thumb for your tailgate: keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Keep cold foods chilled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and hot foods heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

-       The two-hour rule is also in effect: food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours so have replacements ready at half time.

-       If bringing hot take-out food (like chicken fingers, wings etc.), eat it within 2 hours of purchase (1 hour if the temperature is above 90 °F).

-       Instead of using large serving bowls, serve dips and items with dairy in smaller containers. Make several in advance and keep them chilled in the refrigerator or coolers until you need them.

-       Offer serving spoons and small plates to reduce opportunity for guests to eat items like dip and guacamole directly from the serving container (double-dipping is a no-no and can increase the chances for food contamination).-       Bring water for cleaning if none will be available at the tailgating site. Pack clean, wet, disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

-       Carry cold perishable food like raw hamburger patties, sausages, and chicken in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, frozen gel packs, or containers of ice.

-       Be sure raw meat and poultry are wrapped securely to prevent their juices from cross-contaminating ready-to-eat food. If possible, store these foods near the bottom of the cooler, so that juices don’t contaminate other foods in the cooler.

-       If you can’t keep hot food hot during the drive to your tailgate, plan and chill the food in the refrigerator before packing it in a cooler. Reheat the food to 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

-       A general rule of thumb for your tailgate: keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Keep cold foods chilled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and hot foods heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

-       The two-hour rule is also in effect: food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours so have replacements ready at half time.

-       If bringing hot take-out food (like chicken fingers, wings etc.), eat it within 2 hours of purchase (1 hour if the temperature is above 90 °F).

-       Instead of using large serving bowls, serve dips and items with dairy in smaller containers. Make several in advance and keep them chilled in the refrigerator or coolers until you need them.

-       Offer serving spoons and small plates to reduce opportunity for guests to eat items like dip and guacamole directly from the serving container (double-dipping is a no-no and can increase the chances for food contamination).

visit FoodSafety.gov to learn about best food safety practices, utilize “Ask Karen,” an online database with nearly 1,500 answers to specific questions related to preventing foodborne illnesses, in both English and Spanish, or to call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline.



 

Popular posts from this blog

See the newest trailer for NOAH with an intro from Emma Watson.

NOAH is coming soon!  To a theater near you on March 28, 2014 and until then take a look at scenes from NOAH. Emma Watson shares a fun intro to the newest trailer release of the film NOAH: Learn about the making of the film and the bible story of NOAH: Read what's being said about NOAH in the press: Geoffrey Morin who is head of communications for The American Bible Society offers an article on "NOAH".  The op-ed is entitled, “NOAH spurs debate pitting art vs. Bible” and poses the question, “How much artistic interpretation should be allowed?   Here is the article about the film  Noah  on USA Today. Noah comes to a theater near you on March 28, 2013.  To find a location near you go to NOAH  the official web site for the film. 

Giveaway of New Soft Scrub® 4-in-1 Toliet Cleaner to three lucky winners.

  Let's talk about cleaning toilets. Hmm, I'd rather not talk about that, or clean them. However, I don't want dirty toilets in our house, so I have to clean all three of them. I'd clean four or five because I really would like two downstairs bathrooms in my next house. We have one powder room on the first floor and two full baths upstairs.I'd like three full baths upstairs. Why in the world would I want to clean all that? Who knows, but having a product that can help out cleaning the three we currently have in my house is greatly appreciated. Soft Scrub ®  is honestly amazing me with their new and improved products. I've learned about them in the past few months from trying them out and writing reviews. My kitchen sink has never shined so much, the bathrooms are cleaner, and now Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care is now here! It is new, it smells nice, and it is so easy to use. Just clip it on the side of the bowl, make sure it is in the flow of water when the toil

Win an Ultimate prize pack from Betty Crocker Ultimate Meals and Mixes

So, how's the dinner time prep going? The kids are back in school, and  then after school is sports, band practice. Do you have the taxi light on top your car on? Sound familiar? I can relate. Those nights of soccer practice and games kept us moving. I am the late afternoon here on the East Coast, and glad to have my dinner thoughts together. How did I do it? The ultimate way, with new Ultimate Hamburger Helper from Betty Crocker ®, that's how. I whipped up, I'm calling it that, because it was easy to prepare and cook. I made Ultimate Hamburger Helper Three Cheese Marinara. Easy to understand directions are on the back of the box, and don't forget to cut out the Box Tops For Education Label before you toss the cardboard into your recycling bin.   How to make this warm hearty meal for your family: open a box of Ultimate Hamburger Helper Three Cheese Marinara Brown 1 pound ground beef in a skillet. I used organic ground beef. In that same skillet, add and stir in: 1 cup o