Whether you’re cooking a small or large meal for your holiday guests, food safety is always a top priority. 

Washington County Environmental Health Public Health Inspector Cindy Chavez encourages all residents to take necessary precautions for a healthy and bright holiday season. Chavez explains the first thing anyone should do before preparing a meal, “You would want to start by washing hands before and after handling foods. Making sure we keep food items separated. One way to do this would be to prevent any juices from meat, poultry or seafood from dripping or leaking onto food items by placing them in sealed containers, containing them in sealed plastic bags and cleaning up any messes to prevent cross contamination.” 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that there are three safe ways to effectively thaw out frozen meats. Residents can store the meat in a refrigerator, keep it under water that is 41 degrees or colder and defrost it in the microwave. When using cold water, the water should be changed every 30 minutes and when using a microwave, the meat should be defrosted for 6 minutes per pound. When cooking meats, any poultry should be cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees, ground meats and pork to 155, and whole steaks and fish to 145. Once the food has been prepared, hot items should be kept at 135 degrees and cold items below 41.