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A holiday potluck is a great way to reduce the stress for the person hosting the event. You also get to enjoy a variety of foods and show off your favorite and famous recipes.
There are, however, a few tips to keep in mind when selecting your feature fare.
The first. Knowing what NOT to bring. The second, but also important. Safe handling and transportation.
Follow along and take notes for your next holiday potluck to make sure you plus one is not food poisoning!
There are lots of germs that can make their way into food.
It seems like every time you scroll through the news there is another recall, outbreak, or germ going around.
How exactly do these germs get into food?
Once the germs make their way into the food, there are only a couple ways to combat them.
Heat treatment being the primary method. Always fully cook your dishes according to safe internal temperature. Follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart and use a food thermometer to measure it.
Select the food you want to bring to the holiday potluck carefully. Do so with food safety in mind.
There are, according to experts, certain foods you should absolutely skip.
Let’s explore!
The following foods should be avoided at a holiday potluck. It’s not a great idea to bring them and should probably avoid them if they are on offer at your gathering.
Potatoes kept in foil pose a unique scenario for a food that already has a strong risk for germs. Certain pathogens thrive in the environment that baked potatoes in aluminum foils provide.
Namely, Clostridium botulinum.
As the spud begins to cool, the moisture and low amounts of oxygen make a prime breeding ground for Clostridium botulinum.
Pro tip! Remove foil from the potato after baking and before it reaches the “danger zone.”
The “danger zone” is the temperature between 40° F and 140° F where bacteria can rapidly grow to infectious numbers. Keep food colder than 40° F or warmer than 140° F. Do not exceed two hours within the danger zone (or one hour if ambient temperature is above 90° F).
This way sufficient oxygen reduces the risk of botulism.
What is a holiday potluck without some kind of mayonnaise-based salad. Think egg salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, or anything that mid-westerners are known for that combines some kind of carb with some kind of refrigerated binder.
While the mayonnaise often gets the finger pointed at it first, food poisoning associated with mayonnaise-based salads often fall to the protein or cooked carbohydrate it coats.
It all goes back to keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. This type of food generally needs to remain cold. When sitting out on a table, the danger zone is quickly reached.
Thanks a lot heat transfer physics!
Lurking germs in meat or starchy foods can grow to infectious numbers quite quickly.
If your potato salad is a “must have,” consider placing your bowl in a larger bowl with ice and/or bringing small portions out from refrigerated safety at a time.
In addition to the risky nature of leafy greens right now, you may think twice before bringing that salad. (Leafy greens have been the subject of several foodborne outbreaks recently)
Always check recall notices before consuming or preparing food to ensure you are not bringing contaminated ingredients to the table.
Chopping and preparing salads pose many opportunities for cross contamination.
Because leafy green salads do not undergo any type of heat treatment, there is no step to remove potential pathogens from the party.
Whether you add carrots, cucumber, tomato, or other goodies, be sure that you are using clean and sanitary utensils and cutting surfaces. Also, wash your hands before and after preparing leafy green salads to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. This includes tossing and serving your dish.
Don’t be fishy. Avoid bringing a fish dish to a holiday potluck.
For many reasons.
The first being fish and seafood are common food allergies. When seafood is steamed, food protein particles are often blown into the air, potentially triggering an allergic reaction in some unfortunate and potentially unsuspecting people.
While the food is steaming, you can have the afflicted person leave the immediate area. But it is best to err on the side of caution and avoid bringing fish altogether. Unless you know for certain that there is no one at the holiday potluck who is allergic.
In addition to all of the reasons mentioned above for fish, raw shellfish pose serious status situations.
While you may love sushi and consider yourself a super sushi chef; consider cooked options for your rolls.
Thinking about raw shellfish and oysters.? Those half shells and the like must be kept cold as ice! Do you have the facilities to ensure this? If not, skip this option.
If you feel confident in your cold containment capabilities, check for recalls before you serve your dish. Shellfish are filter feeders and are often the subject of serious illness inducing germ recalls from their environment.
Thinking about getting nutty at the holiday potluck?
Tree nuts are common allergens.
Unless you are sure that everyone at the holiday potluck is allergy-free, consider leaving them out of your creations. Or perhaps bring them in a separate container for those who want to add it on their own serving.
When in doubt, leave it out! Or clearly label the container so that those who should avoid it can do so.
Before selecting a dish, consider whether or not you can keep it at a safe temperature from point A to point B and for the duration of the holiday potluck.
If your dish is risky or you are unable to keep the hot food hot or cold food cold, rethink your recipe.
Remember, food navigating into the “danger zone” for more than two hours (or one hour if ambient temperature is above 90° F) should be discarded. Also remember that the timer starts during food preparation.
Once cooked, if you set it out, you have two hours before it becomes unsafe to eat.
When transporting cold items, pack them on ice in an insulated container. Those insulated containers also come in handy when you want to keep things warm too!
Have a long commute? Consider immediately refrigerating your offering after you make it and reheat on location (if facilities are available). If that isn’t an option, plan a room temperature stable item like baked goods.
Have a REALLY long distance to travel? Volunteer for paper plates or packaged drinks. Those are always appreciated!
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Don’t Make Food Poisoning Your Plus One at the Holiday Potluck This Year! What NOT to Bring,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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