and a follow up tale...

I often tell a story about grandma, not mine you understand but grandma in general.  It goes this way, the family troops over hill and dale to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving.  You all get there very early because you want to watch the parade and because you have been enlisted to help prepare the food.  You see, but don’t take notice of the turkey thawing in the sink.  Grandma asks you to chop the vegetables for the stuffing.  The veggies and the cornbread are moistened with turkey stock that has been sitting on the stove since last night.  Once the mixing is done the bird is stuffed and placed in a cold oven.  The whole thing cooks for hours being faithfully basted with drippings from the bird.  When grandma thinks it is done it is taken out of the oven and left to cool for a while as the football game plays out on the TV.  Finally the stuffing is removed and reheated and the turkey is carved and served.  All good right?  Not so fast.  The turkey was thawing at room temperature just helping bacteria grow.  The stuffing mixed hot and cold products again promoting bacterial growth and the bird was stuffed raw.  The juices that soak the stuffing in the cavity are likely chock full of more bacteria.  The bird comes out when you think it is done, nobody checks the internal temperature.  The stuffing comes out and the bird cools, again just setting up a factory for bacteria, and you wondered why you felt a little ill, so if your roommate leaves something out all day do not eat it.  Nothing could happen but on the other hand something might and alcohol doesn’t kill botulism.                                                                                                                                                       
On top of all this the Tryptophan in the turkey makes you tired.  Great day, I am not advocating Tofurkey but … 

 

and going to that information thing...

There is information that suggests that 95% of food borne illness may be tracked to the home.  Here are a number of good things to keep in mind

      

These rules apply across the board to all types of food:

For you that have never cooked anything that did not come from a box or the microwave some of this stuff may be tough.  On the other hand this may be the second part of a guide that you need to feed yourself well, impress your parents and friends and not break the bank on prepared foods.

• Shop Smart

Build a menu for a week and then a shopping list.  This list should reflect those ingredients that will hold and should be another for things should pick up daily.  The planning will help keep you in balance, it does me.  I have my whole day mapped out and really try to live by the program. When you do shop buy only food that looks and smells in top condition, period, when in doubt DO NOT buy it.  The higher the volume of the store, the fresher things are likely to be.

• Avoid Cross-Contamination

This is very important!  At the store, put meats and poultry in an extra plastic bag, which many stores now provide, so they can't drip onto other foods in your shopping cart. When you get home check for leaks and re-bag if necessary and store them on the bottom shelf of the fridge to avoid leaks and cross contamination.

• Store Food Promptly

The US Department of Agriculture advises, "Always refrigerate perishable food within two hours (one hour when the temperature is above 90°F)"  I think that you should not wait that long.  If you're making a few stops on the way home from the store, or the weather is very hot, keep a cooler in your trunk for meat, dairy, and frozen items.

• Check Your Fridge and Freezer

Keep a thermometer in each place and check them often. The fridge should be 40°F or below but above 32 degrees and the freezer, 0°F.  Home appliances often vary in temperature and frequent opening raises the temperature so pay close attention.  The variance can influence the shelf life of what you buy.

• Wash Your Hands

Wash them in hot, soapy water both before and after preparing foods. This is very important when you are working with raw animal proteins.  Get up lather and sing Happy Birthday or count to 20 while scrubbing.  Make sure you wash between your fingers, up to your wrists and around your cuticles that is where the bacteria hide.  Another personal note here, I don’t over wash my hands in the course of the day.  It removes natural oils and good bacteria that we need.  When you take these things away you leave yourself open to bacteria that are not so nice.  I also avoid the fad of sanitizing myself at every chance I get.

• Use or Freeze Promptly

If a product has a "use by" date, follow that. (This is different from a "sell by" date, which refers to the date by which you should purchase the product.) If there's no use-by date, use or freeze the ingredient within several days of its sell-by date. When storing food label and date the package.  Shopping frequently and in smaller amounts guarantees the freshness and quality of your food.

• Thaw Safely

You have several options for thawing frozen meats. The safest is in the refrigerator; meats thawed this way can safely be refrozen; always thaw on the bottom shelf and not in contact with other products. If you're in a hurry, meat can also be thawed in the microwave or in a pan of cold water. (With the water running and never use hot water—this could raise the temperature of some parts of the meat into the "danger zone," where bacteria grow quickly.) Meat thawed in the microwave or water must be cooked immediately. Never thaw meat on the counter top, which could allow dangerous bacteria to multiply.

• Cook Properly

We'll go into more detail on safe cooking temperatures in the individual method sections. A good general rule is to use an instant read metal probe thermometer rather than relying on just your eyes and nose to check doneness. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the product, and be sure it doesn't touch a bone.   Calibrate your thermometer by submerging it in a glass full of ice and water and adjusting the nut on the back so that the thermometer reads 32°F.  Thermometers should be re calibrated every month.

• Separate Raw and Cooked Items

Once food is cooked, it should never go back on a dirty plate or board that's held raw ingredients, and utensils should not be used for both raw and cooked foods without being washed and sanitized in between. This principle applies to marinades as well: If you want to serve a marinade that you've used on raw food, be sure to boil it for three minutes to kill any pathogens.

• Refrigerate Leftovers

The two-hour refrigeration rule for raw ingredients applies to leftovers and prepared foods as well.  Get stuff into the fridge or freezer as quickly as you can.  Keeping your food safe will keep you healthy.  It is better if you have few leftovers and if you do pawn it off on those you love, or hate.
I guess the question on everyone’s lips at this point is “Why is this stuff so important?”  The simple answer is so that you do not want to die; it is also the most extreme.  Over the last century and a half we have learned much about food safety and how food impacts our health and psyche.   You have heard that someone has gotten food poisoning that is unlikely to be true but it has been true in the past and if you follow the rules for safe food handling it will continue to be untrue. 
 

SOMETIMES YOU GET THE BEAR....

This has been one of those weeks for both good and bad.  We continue to make general gains in our home but, Elise, Goldie and then me all fell ill.

We did some great food this week, new items included a Sesame Seared Tuna Steak with Chinese Broccoli and Ramen Noodles and Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Pork Loin (not for the Kosher or Halal crowd) with Cinnamon Roasted Apples, Saffron Rice and Butternut squash

It looks like we may have the opportunity to do some business with these and the, now, 20 other items we are offering for meal service.

Hopeful and cautious, stay in touch

Something to Teach

Balsamic Marinaded Duck, Roasted Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus

 I was asked to teach a class, demonstrate methods, tools and products.  Luckily I can do this.  I discussed use of a Chef's knife and Paring knife and how, making sure the fit you, they work better.  The product was a whole duck.  Taking it down to pieces was that skill.  Blanching, searing, roasting and grilling were the methods.  Not bad, simple, fast , nice and TASTY

As Promised...

The other day I mentioned that I was doing a small event and would be featuring a de-constructed Caprese Salad with Kalamata Olive Tapenade and Grilled Salmon and for dessert a French Toast Pound Cake with Poached Pear and Raspberry/Blueberry Coulis, and here they are

 

WINTER SALAD

 

Today's luncheon features a hearty salad (pictures to follow)

A composed salad with mixed strong greens, kale and chard etc, Kalamata olive tapenade, fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes topped with Grilled Salmon.  The pieces of a classic Caprese salad are here with additions and of course the Salmon.  Not too light or heavy, good vegetable and proteins.

Easy to do, easy to serve...just sayin'

Attentive to many of today's trends, this Kale and Chard Caesar Salad is topped with Roasted Root Vegetables rather than croutons. Gluten Free and healthier then the traditional Caesar.