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Helpful Tips for a Flawless Holiday Meal

When you’re planning to make most of your holiday meal ahead of time, there are a few things you should know before you get started. Believe it or not, there’s a bit of science to properly storing food. It’s not as simple as tossing stuff into the pantry, refrigerator or freezer and forgetting about it. Let’s face it — what’s the point of making all of these delicious dishes ahead of time if they heat up into soggy mush? If you want your make-ahead meal to be as tasty as it can be (not to mention as safe to eat as it can be), it’s important to remember the ground rules of safe, effective food storage.

Refrigerator Tips
• Your refrigerator should be kept at a temperature of around 40°F. Store items like eggs, meat, poultry and seafood — your most perishable items — in the coldest parts of the refrigerator.
• Keep raw poultry and meat very securely wrapped and on the bottom shelf — this way they won’t drip and contaminate other food.
• Make sure refrigerated foods are very tightly wrapped, to help keep them from drying out when you heat them up and serve them.
• Most items will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.
• Wipe up any spills right away, to help prevent bacteria from growing.
Freezing (and thawing) Fundamentals
• Don’t put food that is still warm into the freezer. Not only will it take longer for these foods to freeze, but it will create condensation that will freeze into ice crystals, which may cause your food to be too soggy (and unappetizing)
when thawed.
• Your freezer should be set to 0°F to ensure the proper preservation of
foods. Consider using an appliance thermometer to check the temperature.
• Freezer burn won’t affect the safety of your frozen foods. It does affect the quality, however, causing them to be too dry. Trim off any freezer-burned portions of food you’re preparing before you thaw and reheat it.
• Don’t ever thaw food at room temperature, which could cause harmful bacteria to flourish. Your best (and safest) bet is to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The key is to ensure your food stays at a constant temperature of 40°F or below.
• You can also quickly thaw food in a cold water bath. Make sure the food is in a watertight container, then immerse in cold water until thawed. Change the water every half hour, and cook food immediately after thawing.
• Freezing soup, gravy or another liquid? Place in freezer storage bags and lay flat on a freezer shelf until completely frozen, then stand up to store.

Proper Packaging and Storing
• Start off with the right materials. You’ll need plenty of heavy-duty aluminum foil, sealable plastic freezer bags, permanent markers, butcher or freezer paper, plastic containers with lids and plastic wrap.
• To wrap your frozen food properly, start with a secure double wrap of freezer paper or plastic wrap. Then over-wrap with heavy-duty aluminum foil. You may also use sealed freezer bags and airtight containers.
• Clearly label and identify what’s in the package along with the date you placed it in the freezer or refrigerator.
• Wrapping items in the refrigerator is important as well, but more to protect food from absorbing aromas and flavors from other food. Make sure your items are in airtight bags or containers.