Easter Food Safety and Healthy Cooking Online Chat
Join Mississippi State's Dr. Jason Behrends, Certified Culinary Scientist, and Dr. Jane Clary, Extension Health Professor, for an informative online chat on "Easter Food Safety and Healthy Cooking" Wednesday, March 24 at 11 AM Eastern, 10 AM Central. The chat will last approximately 1 hour.
Chat with Dr. Behrends and Dr. Clary about food safety and healthy food preparation during the Easter holiday.
The following is pre-reading material for the Easter chat:
Food Safety Tips for Easter
Families Food and Fitness pooled some of our freshesh spring recipes to adorn your Easter table:
Click below for our Easter Menu equipped with soup, salad, two main dish options, two side dishes, and a delicious lightened carrot cake for dessert.
Easter Dinner with Families Food and Fitness
Easter Food Safety and Healthy Cooking Chat Transcript
Experts: Dr. Jason Behrends, Mississippi State University
Dr. Jane Clary, Mississippi State University
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 10 AM Central
Topics:
1. Food Safety with Hard-boiled Eggs
2. Food Safety when Cooking Meats
- a. Ham
- b. Lamb
3. Cleaning Your Refrigerator and Safe Refrigerator Practices
4. Microwave Re-heating
5. Pathogens with Spores
6. Safely Thawing Foods
7. Food Irradiation
8. Uses for Olive Oil
9. Non-meat Main Dishes
- a. Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables
- b. Crock-pot Cooking
10. Interactive Spice Guide
11. Candy at Easter
12. Families Food and Fitness on Facebook and Twitter
Transcript:
1. Food Safety with Hard-boiled Eggs
- In the past, it may have been a common practice to leave hard-boiled Easter eggs out on the counter for hours before eating them. This is not a food safe practice.
- Hard-boiled eggs should not stay out for more than 2 hours.
- Hard-boiled eggs that have been left outside for an Egg Hunt should not be used in food preparation.
- Hard-boiled eggs will be good in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
- If you are concerned with the food safety of using hard-boiled eggs, use plastic eggs instead. Fill plastic eggs with candy or bunny shaped graham crackers for an Egg Hunt. If the children are old enough, put small toys or coins in the plastic eggs for a surprise treat.
- One participant plans to put money in plastic eggs to be used the following week as spending money for her children during a family trip.
2. Food Safety when Cooking Meats
a. Ham
- End Temperatures for Various Cured Hams – It is recommended to cook all hams to an internal temperature of 160°F. Even country cured hams should be cooked to 160°F.
- Even though country cured ham may be considered a ready to eat product, Dr. Behrends recommends that his clients cook it to 160°F.
- There are some “fully” cooked hams that are ready to eat upon purchase. These can be sliced for sandwich meat.
- Listeria monocytogenes are the main bacteria that cause concern regarding "fully" cooked hams. These bacteria can cause listeriosis and can cause miscarriage in pregnant women.
- If you are pregnant, it is recommended that all lunchmeat, hotdogs, and any other ready to eat processed meat products be heated.
- If ham or lunch meat is heated once and then refrigerated, is it then safe to eat cold? No. Ham or lunchmeat should always be heated before eating, especially for pregnant women and the elderly. Don’t store and then eat because bacteria can grow again.
b. Lamb
- Cooking Techniques – The cut determines the best cooking method. Roasts can be roasted in the oven or you can grill lamb chops or kebobs.
3. Cleaning Your Refrigerator and Safe Refrigerator Practices
- Wipe up refrigerator spills immediately to keep a clean food environment.
- Recent research shows that most Americans only clean out their refrigerator once a year.
- It is easy to forget about leftovers in the refrigerator. Make an effort to check your leftovers once a week to ensure food doesn’t stay in your refrigerator past its expiration date. Be sure to reheat leftovers to 165°F to kill any bacteria.
- Refrigerator thermometers are also an important tool to ensure that your refrigerator is staying cool enough. We recommend refrigerator temperatures be below 40°F.
4. Microwave Re-heating
- Is heating in the microwave as safe as other cooking methods? It is safe to heat in the microwave and wait for it to reach the appropriate temperature. Always use a thermometer to ensure you have heated food to a temperature that will kill any harmful bacteria.
5. Pathogens with Spores
a. Are there some pathogens that might produce spores that 165°F would not have an effect on? The pathogen may dead but the spores active. There are some pathogens that can produce spores. Heating will not eliminate the spores and the spores can produce toxins. Easter foods that may present this type of concern include shellfish toxins from dishes containing oysters.
- Clostridium perfringens is a bug that is of concern and produces toxins once inside their intestines. This bacteria does not grow in proper refrigerator temperatures but can grow rapidly in the danger zone – from 40°F - 140°F. Buffet style settings supply an ideal environment for this bacteria.
- Clostridium botulinum (C. Bot) is another bacteria that forms spores and grows without oxygen very well. Potatoes wrapped in foil are a perfect place for these bacteria to grow and form spores, which then produce a deadly toxin. So if you bake potatoes, do not leave them in the foil. Remove foil from the potatoes before storing them in your refrigerator.
6. Safely Thawing Foods
- The safest methods to thaw foods include: in the refrigerator or under running cool water. If you microwave to thaw, you need to cook the food immediately.
7. Food Irradiation
- What method is used most for food irradiation? Do most food processors use cobalt 61? Irradiation is completely safe. All spices that consumers purchase have been irradiated for 20+ years. The meat industry irradiates a very small portion of ground meat products. Off-flavors do occur as it oxidizes lipids (fats) and causes a warmed over flavor or “wet dog.”
8. Uses for Olive Oil
- Salad dressings are a good way to incorporate “good” oil such as olive oil.
- Dipping oils can also be made with olive oil and a little roasted garlic. Serve with fresh whole wheat bread as a little taste before a meal…but not too much.
- To some, olive oil has a strong flavor when used to make salad dressings. If the flavor is too strong for you consider combining olive oil with a milder flavor monounsaturated fat like canola oil.
- You can also infuse oils with various flavors like herbs or garlic. Simply warm the oil with a sprig of rosemary or thyme or garlic clove to achieve a flavored oil. Make sure when you infuse oils that you use them within a day because C. Bot can grow in these types of oil because they are in an anaerobic environment (no oxygen).
- If your family prefers butter on their bread, one participant suggested whipping equal parts butter and canola oil. It is spreadable straight from the refrigerator.
9. Non-meat Main Dishes
One participant noted that almost all the comments about food-borne pathogens involved meat products. He asked for non-meat main dish suggestions. Lentils are a great source of protein and provide most of the essential amino acids that the body needs. A “Stuffed Bell Pepper” recipe was supplied during the chat (it is available at the end of the transcript). It contains Arborio rice, tomatoes, and feta cheese. The Arborio rice could be substituted with lentils, beans, or quinoa to offer more protein. Nuts are also a good source of protein and can be added to salads or pasta.
- All protein foods including soy and cooked beans are still Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods. Be sure to use your thermometer to make sure your non-meat main dishes reach 160°F.
a. Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables
- Easter is a great opportunity to take advantage of spring fruits and vegetables. One participant likes serving lots of vegetables at her Easter Dinner. Her favorite is roasted asparagus. To prepare: after washing, lay the asparagus on a large jelly roll pan, sprits with olive oil, and sprinkle with granulated garlic. Bake at 350°F for 15 – 25 minutes. Other spring vegetables and fruits include spinach and strawberries. Try a spinach salad with strawberries, raspberries, oranges, pecans, and a balsamic vinaigrette made with olive oil.
b. Crock-pot Cooking
- There are no concerns for food safety when cooking beans and lentils in a crock-pot as long as the temperature reaches 160°F and remains over 140°F during the time in the crock-pot. Cooling should be done as soon as possible by placing in smaller containers and placing in the refrigerator to cool. Do not let your crock-pot full of food sit on the counter to cool.
- If you are concerned that putting hot food in your refrigerator will warm the refrigerator too much, don’t worry. Refrigerators, these days can handle hot food better than our grandparents’ refrigerators. Refrigerator temperatures should be below 40°F, but Dr. Behrends recommends refrigerator temps be between 34°F and 36°F to allow for fluctuation. Always have a temperature gauge in your refrigerator to ensure safe temperatures.
10. Interactive Spice Guide
a. Families Food & Fitness offers an interactive spice guide at [Interactive Spice Guide]. The guide contains pictures, flavor profiles, and suggested uses for many herbs and spices. It is a great resource for flavoring ideas other than salt and fat.
11. Candy at Easter
a. Some alternatives to candy at Easter include money, making one special sweet treat (one participant suggested a giant sugar cookie with favorite candy sprinkled on top), books, bubbles, jump ropes, and paddles with the rubber band and ball.
12. Families Food and Fitness on Facebook and Twitter
Families Food and Fitness is dishing out healthy advice on Facebook and Twitter for your convenience. Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Families-Food-and-Fitness/134828792843?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FFFCoP
Happy Easter!
Stuffed Peppers My Way
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour
Servings: 2
Ingredients
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information
Stuffed Peppers My Way
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 402
• Total Fat: 15.3g
• Cholesterol: 33mg
• Sodium: 1596mg
• Total Carbs: 54.6g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.8g
• Protein: 11g
Recipe provided by www.Allrecipes.com
Recipe submitted by: Sandy
