Those who are celebrating Easter with family and friends should make food safety a top priority, especially since so many companies and restaurants have been involved in food poisoning incidents in the past months.
To food safety advocates, one of the most traditional and important part of Easter, the ham, should receive special scrutiny this year.
If you’re the one preparing the Easter ham and you’re hosting friends and family members, make sure to follow important food safety tips in order to avoid health-related issues.
First of all, experts say, you must think on whether you’re going to serve the ham raw or cooked.
When cooking fresh, or uncured, safety experts urge consumers to make sure the leg of pork is cooked to an internal temperature of 160 °F in an oven set no lower than 325 °F. While baking the ham, use a food thermometer in order to measure the temperature. Once the ham is removed from the over, let it stand for a few minutes before carving it.
According to safety experts, uncured ham should always be cooked to avoid health-related issues. But there are other types of ham products that can be consumed even if they haven’t been cooked.
The US Department of Agriculture has guidelines for ham products. According to the federal agency, spiral cut cooked hams, cooked vacuum packed, or canned hams are all safe to eat cold. But if you still like to eat them warm, heat the slices in the oven until they reach the 140 °F mark. Also, make use of a food thermometer in order to check whether the product is ready for consumption.
If you’re preparing leftover ham that has already been cooked once, safety advocates urge consumers to heat the product to an internal temperature of 165 °F.
The reason behind these instructions is a simple one. Making sure that the internal temperature of these products is high helps to destroy foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Making sure the product is heated sufficiently also helps to make sure that parasites are also destroyed, which helps to protect your family and loved ones.
If you find ham in your cured ham, safety advocates urge you to not eat the part of the ham that has been covered by nold. Instead, wash the ham with hot water, have the mold scrubbed with a stiff vegetable brush.
When preparing other food items for your Easter feast, keep in mind that you should never use the same utensils on all types of food. Wash the cutting boards and knives before slicing produce to avoid cross-contamination.
For more safety tips and other ideas on how to make sure that your Easter festivities are safe, follow this link to read the full article.
Happy Easter!
