Feature Articles
Prevent problems with your home-canned foods
There is nothing more disappointing than to find problems with your food when you want to use them. Here are a few tips to help prevent small problems...more
There’s more to canning than putting a lid on a jar and getting it to seal, but if it doesn’t seal, it is a problem! Understanding canning lids can help prevent some problems...more
Can eating grilled meats cause a cancer risk?
Summer is a time when everyone moves cooking outdoors grilling. It’s hard to beat the flavor of a hot grilled hamburger but does eating them put you at risk for cancer...more
Parties and gatherings are great places to share recipes and this one goes well with your health: food safety...more
Food safety after a power outage
Once the electricity goes off, a full freezer will hold temperatures for 48 hours. A half-full freezer will hold a freezing temperature for 24 hours. It is important to only open the freezer door when absolutely necessary...more
Holiday food safety for older adults
The holidays are a time where many people are preparing and handling foods for family members or friends. A few simple steps can ensure that everyone enjoys the holidays without symptoms of food borne illness...more
Hand washing during the holidays
It’s the time of year when everyone is sneezing, coughing, or has a case of the sniffles. Washing your hands properly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to avoid illness...more
Use a Crock Pot for a Christmas Morning Treat!
There's something special about a holiday breakfast. This year make the morning smoother with a little planning ahead and have breakfast ready to go upon rising using your crock pot...more
Food Dating Helps Assure Quality
You can’t see the food inside many packages you buy at the grocery store making it hard to know if the food is fresh...more
It’s time to purchase and prepare your Thanksgiving turkey. After reading this article, you’ll be armed with all of the information you need to purchase, thaw and prepare your holiday bird safely...more
Venison is a Healthy Choice but Should be Handled with Care
This time of year, venison graces the table in many households. It is a great source of protein that has significantly less fat than beef and pork. As with all protein-based foods, it is especially important to handle venison with care to prevent foodborne illness in the people who consume it...more
Not so bright turkeys are afraid of a lot more than Thanksgiving ax
Turkeys fear a lot more things than an ax this time of year and you have to be on your toes to deal with things that might kill them...more
Food safety tips help keep unwelcome guests from Thanksgiving dinner table
Thanksgiving is a great time to get together for a special dinner, but the last thing you want is any unwelcome visitors, such as salmonella, a kind of bacteria that can cause food-borne sickness...more
First-of-its-Kind Grant Given To Develop Food Safety Training for Hispanic Employees in Food Service
University of Missouri researchers have been awarded a first-of-its-kind grant to design and produce a food safety training program specifically for the nation’s Hispanic employees in the food service industry...more
When it comes to canning the garden’s harvest, safety
rules over creativity. And to can safely means following
the USDA recommendations...more
Don't Pack Bugs in your Picnic Basket
Before fixing a picnic, be sure to prepare, store and pack food safely. Otherwise, the most dangerous bugs at your picnic may be the bacteria that you can't see...more
Egg handling at Easter or at any time during the year provides many chances for eggs to become contaminated with bacteria. Keep the following tips in mind...more
Escherichia coli or E. coli is a bacterium that has been in the news a lot for the foodborne illness that it has caused. More recently we have heard on the news that E. coli has been found at levels that are too high in some of our lakes, rivers and streams. It’s easy to wonder if it is the same E. coli and what the difference is if it is in our streams versus in our food. Bottom line is that both can cause illness if ingested...more
Eggs are an easy-to-prepare high-protein food. Whether they are colored for Easter eggs or used for a light evening meal after a big Sunday dinner, keeping them safe is essential.
Keep Your Food Safe During a Power Outage
With winter comes snow, ice, and power outages. If the power is off for very long, you’ll need to know how to keep your food safe. Make a plan now for what you would do if you do find yourself without electricity for an extended period of time so you can manage efficiently and effectively...more
Refrigerator Temperatures are Important for Food Safety
During the summer months, food safety experts spend a significant amount of time warning people about the dangers of leaving food at room temperature and the importance of keeping food cold at outdoor picnics. One thing sometimes overlooked is the importance of assuring the refrigerator is at the proper temperature to assure food safety...more
For Quality and Safety, Store Foods Properly
Storing foods properly has an impact on the eventual safety and quality of that food. It is important to know how to store foods properly so you can prevent foodborne illness in your household as well as get the best value for your money...more
Keep Foods Safe For Summer Picnics
Keeping food safe to eat is always a top priority but summer is a good time to take inventory of your food safety habits. Summer picnics and other outdoor events where food is served can be fertile breeding ground for foodborne illness...more
Get Ready for Home Canning Season
When you plant your garden, it’s so easy to imagine all of the great-tasting, healthy food that will come from those tiny seeds and plants. Many people grow not only enough to eat during the summer but enough so they can preserve those garden delights for cold winter nights. Spring is a great time to make sure your canning gear is ready for production when your garden starts producing more than you can eat...more
Much has been learned since 1790, when the process of canning vegetables and meat was invented to help sustain Napoleon’s troops in wartime. Two recent changes are worth noting...more
It can be very rewarding to serve your family and guests your very own homemade pickles. Whether you are a novice or experienced pickle maker there are things to keep in mind when making your pickled products...more
Deer hunters should keep food safety in their sights
Hunters who train their sights on a few simple food safety steps will end up with a freezer full of venison instead of a breeding ground for food-borne illnesses...more
Put food safety first in home canning
Don’t believe everything you hear when it comes to home canning. Two unproven methods -- oven and dishwasher canning – are getting attention, but neither are safe, according to a University of Missouri Extension expert. ...more
Make shopping for food your last stop before going home. Perishable foods spoil if they are left out for more than two hours. If it is over 90 degrees, or if groceries sit in a hot car, food will begin to spoil much sooner...more
Store food as soon as you get home form grocery shopping. Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods like meat, poultry or fish right away to keep it fresh. If you will not use perishable foods within several days, freeze it...more
Germs grow best in foods containing meat, fish, poultry, egg or milk. These are called perishable foods because they spoil easily. Germs grow very fast at room temperature. You can get food poisoning if you eat perishable foods that have been at room temperature for more than two hours....more
Germs that spoil food and give us food poisoning can grow in our kitchen. A clean kitchen is not a good place for germs to live and grow. To start your attack against germs, use lots of hot, soapy water...more
Mice, rats, flies, ants, roaches and several types of beetles and moths are pests that come into our homes and make our food unsafe. They walk on food and on areas where we cook and eat our food. Their droppings get into food and can cause food poisoning...more
Safe home canning methods will protect you and your family from illness. Here are some suggestions...more
Thawing and Cooking Foods Safely
When thawing foods for cooking, remember it isn't safe to leave perishable foods, like meat, fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs, out of the refrigerator more than two hours. The germs that cause food poisoning grow very fast at room temperature...more
Leftover perishable foods like meat, fish, poultry, and foods containing eggs or dairy products, should be cooked quickly in the refrigerator or freezer. Don't worry, modern refrigerators and freezers were made to cool hot food...more
On the weekend, make up several kinds of sandwiches, wrap and freeze them...more
What 's the best choice for a sandwich if you can't keep it cold until lunch time? What's the safest pie to take to potluck dinner? What's the safest way to prepare hamburgers for your picnic?...more
Tips for using your microwave safely...more
Blanch Vegetables Before Freezing
Every fresh sweet corn season I hear people telling others how to freeze their corn by just putting in the freezer-and it tastes fresh. Well…here’s the rest of the story...more
Get Your Canning Equipment and Supplies Ready
The gardens are looking great! If you’ve had some “hard water” on your garden, it’s not too late to replant or put in a fall garden. The Vegetable Planting Calendar lists late July as the last of the planting dates for North Missouri for many vegetables...more
Cranking a "Safe" Freezer of Homemade Ice Cream
At one time, uncooked eggs were used to make ice cream, but now we know in order to reduce the risk of salmonella poisoning, a custard-based recipe, an eggless recipe or even using an egg substitute should be used...more
Kitchen Crazies Lead to Risky Business
Hurried or rushed cooks-even impatient cooks can create a crazy kitchen and be welcoming uninvited guests! The uninvited guests I’m referring to are those associated with food borne illness-flu like symptoms can begin within a few hours or a few days and last a few hours or several days...more
With Summer approaching, the traditional barbecue season is about to begin. As the weather warms up, more people cook outdoors than any other time of the year. Warm temperatures are also ideal for bacteria and other pathogens to multiply and cause foodborne illness. Use these simple guidelines for grilling food safely....more
Coloring
Eggs- A Spring Tradition
Coloring eggs for the springtime can be great fun, but it is important
to keep a few safety tips in mind. When handling raw and cooked eggs,
remember to wash hands with soap and water, before and after handling
the eggs. Discard any eggs cracked during cooking, coloring-or hiding!
Any cooked egg out of the refrigerator for more than two hours should
not be eaten by humans. We don’t want our spring fun spoiled by food
borne bacteria. Have safe fun.
So, the Power Has Been Off! Now, What About the Food?
When freezers or refrigerators
are off for several hours whether it’s from a storm, forgetfulness or
accidental, the food safety rules about what to keep or toss are the
same. This column will review some basic rules of thumb for food
safety...
Holiday Food Safety Strategies
During the holiday season many home
kitchens work overtime. Family and friends gather, schedules get even
more hectic, and many hands want to help. It's no wonder food safety
practices are likely to fall by the wayside when a crowd gathers. But
many of our holiday guests are at greater risk for foodborne illness,
namely: the elderly, children, and anyone with a weakened immune system
or chronic illness, such as heart disease, diabetes, and HIV. No one
wants to spoil a holiday celebration with foodborne illness. So keep
your family and friends safe with the following food safety
strategies....
Don't Invite BAC to Your Home for the Holidays!
When celebrating the holidays, be
sure to keep an eye out for an uninvited guest - BAC!, as in bacteria
that can cause foodborne illness. Many people like to invite friends and
family over for a holiday feast so it is important to Fight BAC!™ and
practice safe food handling techniques when entertaining during the
holiday season....
Leftovers. Some people define leftovers as planned overs--cooking with the idea to have another meal from the effort. Others define them as containers of "stuff" that get shoved to the back of the refrigerator and get fuzzy! The big question is how long do leftovers last? And, the answer is not until they are gone! They have a shelf life even when refrigerated that needs to be respected or you'll end up with symptoms of food poisoning similar to the flu...
You've heard the saying that "too many cooks spoil the broth," well too many cooks in the kitchen can be a hazard...
Eggnog - A Potential Holiday Hazard
As we celebrate the holiday season, don't let the eggnog spoil letting you celebrate with great company! The "old-fashioned" eggnog contains raw eggs. The new "traditional" eggnog has cooked eggs to reduce the risk of salmonella food poisoning. Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause diarrhea-like illness in people. The incubation period can be 12 to 72 hours and can last 4 to 7 days. This doesn't sound like any way I want to celebrate a new year...
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