FESTIVE HYGIENE TIPS

Christmas is a time when families and friends traditionally get together to celebrate. Providing, storing and cooking the large quantities of food for all these people can prove a headache and can result in food poisoning because proper hygiene precautions are forgotten.

Here are some useful tips to ensure that your family and friends enjoy their food and don’t end up queuing outside the smallest room!

GENERAL HYGIENE

· Wash your hands frequently in hot soapy water, especially after handling raw foods and before handling cooked meats.

· Dry your hands on clean towels. Change them and tea towels regularly.

· Wash work surfaces, dishes and utensils in clean hot water and detergent between and after preparing different types of food. Keep cloths clean and use a kitchen disinfectant if you can

STORING FOOD

· Use your refrigerator to store food. Don’t over fill it with drinks.

· Store cooked food above raw food in your refrigerator

· Don’t leave food that should be refrigerated at room temperature.

· Keep your fridge temperature between 0ºC and 5ºC.

· Refrigerate cooked food as soon as it is cool.

COOKING

· Make sure meat and poultry is fully thawed before cooking.

· Don’t forget to remove the giblets from your bird.

These cooking times are based on an unstuffed bird. It's better to cook your stuffing in a separate roasting tin, rather than inside the bird, so it will cook more easily and cooking guidelines will be more accurate. (If you cook your bird with the stuffing inside, you will need to allow extra time for the amount of stuffing and allow for the fact that it cooks more slowly.)

Remember some ovens, such as fan-assisted ovens, might cook the bird more quickly – check the manufacturer's handbook for your oven if you can. Always check that the meat is cooked thoroughly before serving.

As a general guide, in an oven preheated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4):

·       for a turkey under 4.5kg, allow 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes

·       for a turkey weighing between 4.5kg and 6.5kg, allow 40 minutes per kg

·       for a turkey over 6.5kg, allow 35 minutes per kg

Tip: Cover your turkey with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin. To stop the meat drying out, baste it every hour during cooking

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Cooking times for other birds

Other birds, such as goose and duck, need different cooking times and temperatures. The oven should always be hotter for duck and goose to melt the fat under the skin.

Goose should be cooked in a preheated oven at 220ºC/425ºF/Gas Mark 7 for 35 minutes per kg.

Tip: Pierce the skin before cooking to help drain the fat and pour away any excess fat halfway through cooking.

Duck should be cooked in a preheated oven for 45 minutes per kg at 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.

Tip: Pierce the skin before cooking and drain off the excess fat halfway through cooking.

Chicken should be cooked in a preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes.

Tip: Cover your chicken with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin. To stop the meat drying out, baste it every 30 minutes during cooking

LEFTOVERS

Any leftover turkey should be taken off the bone, cut into small pieces, placed in a shallow dish, covered and refrigerated as soon as possible preferably within 2 hours.  This food should then be eaten within 3 days. 

When reheating your turkey ensure it is piping hot all the way through.  Any left over gravy should be stored in the fridge and eaten within 3 days and reheated until it starts to boil.

If you follow these simple guidelines then you can be confident that you and your guests can enjoy Christmas.