Talking Turkey
The Thanksgiving feast is over. The dishes are soaking and the menfolk are moping on the couch watching football. But the work in the kitchen isn't over.
Those wanting turkey sandwiches and reheated green bean casserole on their menus this weekend need to take some steps to ensure leftovers are healthy, according to two Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School food instructors.
It sounds counterintuitive, but Mike Barczak, culinary arts instructor, said don't be in a rush to get the leftovers in the refrigerator.
“Make sure everything is cooled off properly before you store it,” said Barczak.
“Never put warm food in the refrigerator. It will heat up the refrigerator and could cause the food in it to spoil,” he said.
He recommends leaving the food out a bit to cool down.
“It takes about two hours to get food down from whatever temperature to 70 degrees — room temperature,” he said.
Dinner rollsExcept that doesn't apply to dinner rolls and other pastries, said Katie Collins, pastry arts instructor.“If they make dinner rolls from scratch, they are going to get drier and harder, ”said Collins. “Don't let them sit out.”“The best way to store them is, I usually store them in a brown paper bag,” she said.Don't use a plastic container to store rolls, croissants and other pastries, she said because the rolls will get damp.
StuffingBut for stuffing, turkey and cranberries, said Barczak, “if you have Tupperware, use Tupperware. Anything that seals is best.”Speaking of stuffing, Collins said it's probably not a good idea to bake stuffing inside the turkey.“If you put stuffing inside the bird you can risk salmonella,” she said. “It's OK to put onions and fruits inside the turkey. Make sure the temperature (of the turkey) reaches at least 165.”
Potato dishesWhile everyone is worried about the stuffing, another popular Thanksgiving side dish is also chancy.“Any potato dish, believe it or not, can be dangerous,” said Barczak. “Potatoes have the best chance of fostering bacteria.”
ChokingAnd for one medical professional, it isn't the little things that will cause problems this Thanksgiving.“Every holiday it's common for people to get food stuck in their throats,” said Krysia Zancosky, a doctor of osteopathy at BHS Benbrook Gastroenterology Associates, 104 Technology Drive.Zancosky said, “One of the main things every holiday is that people eat too much or they eat too fast and they get food stuck in their throat, an esophageal food bolus.”“It's stuck in their throat, and the Heimlich maneuver or drinking water won't help. The water comes right back up,” she said.“They wind up having to go to the emergency room and we have to put them under sedation and then do an upper endoscopy to remove the food from the esophagus,” she said, adding she was called to the hospital twice last Thanksgiving to perform the procedure.“At Thanksgiving, it's always turkey. At New Year's its always pork. On the Fourth of July, it's hot dogs,” said Zancosky.She advised Thanksgiving feasters to eat slowly, cut their food into small pieces and drink a lot of water with their meal.And the remnants of that meal can be eaten again and again to a point.
Wrapping upCollins and Barczak agree properly stored leftovers can last about a week. After that, it's best to discard them.What people don't realize, Barczak said, is cooking doesn't destroy the bacteria that can make an eater ill. It's more like stunting their growth. After a week, they'll be growing and multiplying as good as new.“Eat them or throw them out after seven days. Eat nothing after seven days,” said Barczak of leftovers.And, advised Zancosky, “Chew your food carefully please.”
