Easter dinner is our favorite part of the holiday because it involves brisket, glazed ham, and roast lamb-oh yeah! But before you dive into making that pile of Easter meal munchables, let's discuss best practices for keeping food prep safe.
Basic Best Practices
Folks, just a friendly reminder to wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling raw food. Do the same with all prep surfaces to avoid cross-contamination. Also, we like to use separate cutting boards for slicing each course to avoid spreading food-borne pathogens. OK, let's get preppin'!
Eggcellent Safety Tips
Those hard-boiled eggs may look eggcelently edible, but they can become a salmonella situation if not prepared correctly. Here are a couple of sensible egg tips for a safe meal.
- Separate and discard any cracked eggs from the bunch to avoid contaminating the others.
- Keep your yolks safe by refrigerating raw eggs at 40°F or below and boiling them until both the white and yolk are firm, typically 10-12 minutes. This is not just for safety-no one wants a soft-bodied egg on Easter, peeps.
Meat Safety Standards
Time to talk turkey (well, ham, lamb, and beef brisket) about meat safety. First off, double-check the expiration and best-by dates on all your food products to make sure none of them have come late to the party. Secondly, make sure everything has been thoroughly defrosted in the fridge before you start.
Sneaky critters like E.coli bacteria and salmonella can hitch a ride on undercooked meats. So whip out those food thermometers:
- Ham: 145°F minimum internal temp
- Lamb: 145°F for medium-rare, 160°F for medium, 170°F for well-done
- Beef Brisket: 145°F for medium-rare, 160°F for medium
Let meats rest for at least 3 minutes before serving, but don't let them linger indefinitely in the open. In the best case, serve your guests no more than two hours after the food is cooked. If it will be a while before you serve your guests, make sure you keep courses covered in an airtight space like the fridge. Reheat if you have to.
The Leftovers Lineup
Pack and refrigerate those leftovers ASAP! Perishable prepared foods shouldn't be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Seal them up in airtight containers and get them chillin'. When in doubt, throw it out-food poisoning isn't worth it.
Use these tips, and your Easter spread will be delicious and safe! Now go have a wonderful bunny day.
