It’s Christmas Time!

It’s a lovely time of year. The weather is warm, the days are longer and Christmas is in the air.

It’s a time for family and friends to come together, reflect on the year that’s been and appreciate everything we have in our lives.

Christmas Day itself is meant to be enjoyed with loved ones. It is a celebration of the birth of Christ, of new beginnings. It is not meant to be stressful. In this short blog, I would like to give you a few tips that as a butcher, a husband and a father, should see your day being the best it can be without all the hassle.

So, by this stage, you should have a fairly good idea of who and how many are coming to Christmas lunch or dinner. Keep in mind these tips and you can’t go wrong:

• Know any special dietary requirements beforehand – are any of your guests vegetarian? Is anyone gluten and fructose intolerant? Do some prefer to eat only poultry and not red meat? Knowing these facts is crucial for you to be able to formulate your menu.
• Are you planning a hot or cold lunch or dinner? If you prefer to serve cold Christmas fare, your job is easier as you can prepare many things the day before. If hot is more your thing, you will just have to be a little more organised.
• Think about your equipment – if you only have one oven (like the majority of us!) but have chosen to have three different meats all requiring different temperature and cooking times, this will not work. Either delegate the task to one of your guests to cook one of your chosen meats, and ensure they are able to transport the cooked meat safely, maintaining temperature, or stick to one larger piece of cooked meat and have some cold meats in addition.
• A traditional Christmas Turkey of Porchetta pairs beautifully with a Christmas ham and takes away the stress of trying to do everything!
• Keep in mind cooking temperatures, the size of your oven and cooking times. Cooking for a larger group of people than you are normally used to is stressful, so try and have as much pre-planned and sorted out prior to the day. After all, Christmas lunch and dinner is special, but it shouldn’t be stressful to the point where you don’t enjoy the company of your loved ones.

Care and Preparation of Food

Being aware of food safety at Christmas and being prepared is the key to ensuring everyone has a fantastic day without the risk of anyone getting sick. Due to the gorgeous warm weather Australian’s experience over the Christmas period, bacteria that is normally present in all foods can easily multiply and reach unsafe levels when the temperature gets hot. The preparation and storage of large amounts of food, cooking both in and outdoors and guests continually opening and closing (or not closing!) the fridge door can all lead to potential bouts of illness bought on by contaminated food.

According to the Australian Institute of Food Safety https://www.foodsafety.com.au/blog/top-tips-for-food-safety-at-christmas
follow these few tips to ensure the wellness of your family and friends:

• When purchasing your food from the butcher and supermarket, take a cooler bag or esky with ice blocks ready to keep the food cool. The temperature in a car rises quickly on a hot day and can put the safety of your perishable items at risk.
• On arrival at home make sure all food is properly refrigerated.
• Raw meats should never be stored with cooked foods or foods that are ready to eat. Separate raw meats into separate containers and always store raw meats that may leach juices, on the bottom shelf to prevent cross-contamination.
• Frozen food must be thawed completely before cooking (except those that are designed to be cooked from frozen). Thawing must be done in the fridge overnight or over the period of time it takes to defrost it. Thawing SHOULD NEVER be done outside of the fridge, such as on the kitchen bench or in the sink, as this can lead to bacteria and increases the risk of food contamination.
• Hot foods must be kept hot after thorough cooking and not allowed to drop to room temperature.
• Hot cooked food should be allowed to cool to the point where steam is no longer coming from it before placing in the refrigerator. However, don’t leave it out for longer than two hours, and if you’re dealing with food that was cooked or consumed outdoors in hot temperatures, refrigerate it within one hour.
• Cold food should be kept chilled or refrigerated until serving time. If you’re putting together serving platters or picnic baskets that you intend to leave out for people’s use for a period of time, try using iced trays and cold packs to keep the food at safe eating temperatures. This point is extremely relevant for Christmas day, as guests tend to continue to “pick” after the main meal, and you want to make sure that what they are consuming is safe.

A Note on Food Preparation Surfaces

• If you are going to be barbecuing meats for your Christmas meal, give it a good, thorough scrub with hot, soapy water.
• Always use separate chopping boards for poultry and meats.
• Always use separate and clean knives for the preparation of each type of raw meat.
• Wash each food preparation surface after each use to be safe. Wash in hot, soapy water, that will remove any bacteria, prior to the next use.
• And the last and most important one, that we often forget is to WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY after handling and raw and high-risk foods such as poultry, soft cheeses, salads and anything containing raw egg.

Cooking Tempartures

Using a meat thermometer is the most accurate way of knowing whether your meat/poultry is cooked to perfection. As advised by the FDA https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/HealthEducators/ucm082294.htm here are some guides to follow:

Meat:

• Cook beef, pork, veal, and lamb roasts, steaks, and chops to at least 145° F (63° C), with a 3 minute rest time.

Ground Meat:

• Cook ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork to at least 160° F (71° C).

Poultry:

• Cook all poultry to minimal safe internal temperature of 165° F (74° C).
• Consumers may wish to cook poultry to a higher temperature for personal preference.

Christmas Leftovers!

As we generally over-cater at Christmas, we often have leftovers a-plenty! Keep these few tips in mind to ensure your delicious leftovers are safe to be enjoyed the following day:

• Leftover meats should be sealed SEPARATELY  in clean, airtight containers in the refrigerator.
• Microwaves are fantastic for reheating food, however, you should always ensure the food is reheated evenly by stopping halfway through, stirring and rotating the food. This will ensure there are no cold spots where bacteria could have been breeding.

We all want to enjoy Christmas time and since food plays such a large part in everyone coming together and enjoying each other’s company, we want the food we consume to be safe and sanitary. If you are unsure about whether food has been stored correctly, throw it out. It is better to be safe and well than unsure and sick!

The team here at Di Censo Butchers and Project […] which you and your families are very safe and happy Christmas, and thank you for your continued and valued custom through 2017.