As families and friends come together for Thanksgiving meals, food safety should be kept in mind. Jason Taylor, food safety specialist with Washington County Environmental Health, spoke with KCII News and provided a few tips. Speaking of how long food can sit out during meals he says the rules are generally the same for cold and hot dishes and within two hours they should be put away and temperatures of the food should be down to 70 degrees. Within four hours the food needs to be down to 41 degrees to prevent bacteria growing.

Taylor recommends storing left overs in shallow dishes in the top of the fridge, and leave the lids off of the pans until the heat has escaped the food. Doing this will help the temperature drop faster. He reminds people to wash their hands before preparing or handling food.

For more food safety tips listen to today’s Washington Page with Taylor.