The holiday season is here and for many of us, that means cooking up some amazing and rich foods to celebrate! We at Piguet’s Prime Time are looking forward seeing many different groups and families this holiday season as well as taking some time off to spend with our own families.
As local experts in in-house food service and catering, we wanted to give a few reminders about how to keep your holiday meal safe and happy!
Preparing Your Holiday Food,
Holiday meal planning needs to start well before the morning of the big meal! You can start chopping vegetables and other necessary ingredients and put them in an airtight container (or, for example, a zip lock bag) in the refrigerator. This is a great way to save time and energy on the holiday.
A vital part of preparing for your holiday meal, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday where a large meal is served, is making sure the meat is thawed properly. Turkey is one of the most common holiday meal, especially for Thanksgiving. We think these guidelines for thawing are an excellent rule of thumb:
NEVER thaw at room temperature as this can lead to bacterial growth an cause food poisoning.
We recommend refrigerator thawing. Keep the turkey in its original packaging and place it on a tray in the fridge. Allow 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds of turkey. This means you need to start thawing several days before the holiday.
If you don’t have that much time, you can use the cold water thawing method. The cold water method requires you to submerge the turkey in cold water in a leak-proof plastic bag. You need to change the water every 30 minutes and allow 30 minutes for every pound of turkey.
Cooking Your Holiday Meal
As you’re putting the final touches on your recipes and getting them on the stove or in the oven, remember to be cautious of raw and cooked foods. Keep any raw meat away from ready-to-eat foods. This also means use separate cutting boards, utensils, and plateware for raw and cooked foods. This method is also important if you have anyone in your family with food sensitivities!
Also be careful to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds in between handling raw and other foods.
Making sure everything is cooked both at the right temperature and to the right temperature is an art form! It can be done, though, with some planning. Make sure to cook individual dishes at the correct temperature that the recipe calls for and use a meat thermometer to make sure everything, especially the meat, is cooked to the correct internal temperature.
Here is a list of the more popular meats that are served around the holidays and the temperature to which they should be cooked (all temperatures are fahrenheit):
- Poultry (whole chicken, turkey, etc.) – 165°F
- Ground meats (beef, pork) – 160°F
- Beef, pork, lamb (steaks, roasts) – 145°F
- Fish and shellfish – 145°F
As you’re serving your food, be sure to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold until it’s time to put everything away.
Enjoying the Leftovers
Cleaning up is probably the least favorite part of the meal but it can be just as important as the preparation! Leftovers are one of the best parts of any holiday meal – but only if they are stored properly. 
Follow these tips for getting the best out of your leftovers:
After your meal, refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. Divide large amounts of food into smaller containers for quicker cooling (and easier reheating later).
Leftovers in the refrigerator should be eaten within three to four days. Freeze any leftovers you won’t be able to eat within that time frame.
Label frozen leftovers with the date they were cooked so you can remember when they need to be consumed or thrown out.
We hope you have a safe and fun holiday! Be sure to make reservations to come see us soon so we can do the cooking for you!