Cooks across the country are making plans for holiday feasts that include everyone’s favorite dishes, from cornbread stuffing to pumpkin pie. Friends and families are invited, and excitement is in the air. Food safety is probably not the first thing you think about when planning a holiday dinner. But to keep your gathering from being memorable in the wrong way, it’s important to take steps to protect your guests from food-borne illnesses.
“It takes skill, timing and organization to pull off a healthy holiday meal with all the dishes that need to be kept at proper temperature, so bacteria won’t have a chance to grow,” says food safety expert Missy Cody, PhD, RD, head of the nutrition division at Georgia State University.
Here are 10 suggestions from experts to make sure your holiday dinner is not only tasty but as safe as possible!
