Safe Food Handling Tips For Easter and Passover

AUSTIN, TX — Eggs are a central part of Easter but improperly handled can give rise to food poisoning via salmonella, a common bacteria found in uncooked, unbroken eggs. And while we're no doctors, the symptoms — nausea vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and fever that can all last for a couple of days — is enough to put a damper in one's Easter festivities, and a real dent in one's figurative Easter bonnet.

And don't even get us started on ill-prepared lamb, ham and beef brisket — Easter staples all but also vehicles for salmonella if not adequately prepared. Thgis is no laughing matter, as severe cases can be life-threatening.

Enter Stop Foodborne Illness, a national advocacy group with a mission of educating the public on safe food handling. The nonprofit offers tips on keeping your Easter banquet salmonella-free, as Food Safety News reported.

• Always, always, always choose clean and fresh eggs (did we say always?). Consumers are advised to open the carton when buying eggs and making sure they’re clean and intact, according to the site. The key is to buy in-shell pasteurized eggs to reduce risk.
• It should go without saying, but wash your hands thoroughly. This goes for the kids, too. Wash those hands with soap and water before and after handling eggs – we're talking the whole shebang of prepping, cooking, cooling, dyeing, hiding and hunting for them.
• We know how much fun it is to dye eggs, but in doing so one should only use food-safe dyes. Food experts advise that the total time for hiding and hunting eggs shouldn't exceed two hours. Also, avoid hiding Easter eggs in areas where they could come in contact with pets, wild animals or lawn chemicals.
• As for those eggs that have been on the ground: Don't eat them as it's not recommended. People shouldn't hide cracked eggs as bacteria can contaminate the inside, both reports suggest. In fact, ditch all cracked eggs. It's best to use plastic versions for the Easter egg hunt, Food Safety News advised, "...and save the real eggs for eating."
• Refrigerate eggs at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. "Safely storing and cooking your eggs before consumption is important," Food Safety News reported. "When storing eggs make sure they go inside the fridge, not the fridge door."
• Once hard-cooked, refrigerated eggs can be stored for up to one week. Eggs can be out of refrigeration for two hours (when it’s under 90°F) and still be safe to eat.
• Colored eggs being used as decoration (for several hours or days) should not be eaten.
• Although eggs will show signs of spoilage — with their taste, smell, appearance — when they’re beyond the “best by” date, it's not recommended to use this as a barometer of safety (or lack thereof) because eggs harboring Salmonella taste, smell, and appear exactly the same as “normal” eggs," do.

Avoiding cross-contamination and cooking eggs thoroughly

• Using soap and water, wash your hands and all surfaces that may have had contact with raw eggs. This includes counter tops, pots and pans, utensils and dishes.
• Don’t let in-shell eggs, raw whites or yolks cross-contaminate foods that will be eaten raw.
• Eggs should be cooked until the egg white and yolk are firm. A lightly cooked egg with a runny yolk increases your chance of pathogenic contamination. If a recipe calls for lightly cooked eggs, we recommend using pasteurized egg products.
• Dishes with eggs in the recipe must be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C)
• Eggs should be eaten or refrigerated within 2 hours after cooking.
• Do not eat eggs that have been left at room temperature for more than two hours.

The safest way to boil eggs

Stop Foodborne Illness offers this advice: When cooking hard-boiled eggs, place a single layer of eggs in a saucepan, and cover the eggs with at least one inch of water. When the water is at a full boil, remove the pan from the heat source and let the eggs stay in the water for between 12-18 minutes, depending on the size of the eggs. After the eggs have set for the appropriate amount of time, run cold water over them. When the eggs are cooled enough to handle, put them in the refrigerator.

Spring holiday food safety tips

• If your ham is uncooked, make sure you cook it to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Then, allow the ham to rest for a few minutes before serving. Always avoid cross-contamination from counter tops, knives, dishes and pots and pans. And, please, do not let uncooked ham come into contact with foods you will eat raw.
• If you purchase a pre-cooked Easter ham, which can be served cold or heated, be sure to reheat leftovers to at least 140°F before serving.
• A popular dish for Passover, beef brisket also needs to be prepared well. As lovers of beef brisket know, this cut of meat has to be cooked for a long time given its less-tender nature. It's advised to set the oven temperature to 350°F and no lower than 325°F. Place the brisket fat-side up, and make sure it's almost covered with water. There should be a lid on the cooking pan. Cook your brisket for about one hour per pound of meat to a safe temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Like the aforementioned eggs, avoid cross-contamination from the uncooked meat.
• Lamb is a culinary staple popular during both Easter and Passover. Cook that lamb to an internal temperature of at least 145°F. We realize you and your guests will be chomping at the bit to get to it, but, like the brisket, let it rest a few minutes before serving. And, of course, avoid cross-contamination with uncooked meat and juices.

Leftovers guide

• Food safety experts advise that one make an educated guess as to how much food you will need on the table, then refrigerate leftovers.
• Prepared foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Put leftovers in air-tight containers for travel.
• For the truly considerate (we're talking to you, moms and grandmas) purchase insulated bags and ice so that leftovers can stay ice-cold during your guests’ long drive home, food experts advise.

• Your leftovers-toting guests taking along what amounts to an Easter or Passover swag bag should be told to refrigerate their goodies as soon as they arrive home. Let the kids home from college roll their eyes all they want at the unsolicited advice. They'll thank you later, and will pay it forward when they're telling their own kids one day.