Consuming Thoughts Fay Strickler Penn State Extension Home Economist For Berks Co. Planning a party at home to watch your favorite football team on TV may be safer than trying to maneuver through congested streets and crowds to get to the stadium. But the pressure may be on in the kitchen to get everything ready in time for kickoff. While you may not want to miss a single minute of the game, you certainly want to make sure your food is prepared safely. To help you score a food safety touchdown, hoe are a few hints. Select foods that need little or no preparation. Order a party plat ter, for instance. When you pick it up, be sure it’s the last errand on your shopping trip. Then, take it home and store it in the refrigera tor as quickly as possible. Re member to keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees F or less. Take advantage of the deli, and purchase lunch meats or prepared USED NEW 12 KW Diesel 70 KW LP Gas 100 KW Diesel 45 KW Nat. Gas 100 KW Diesel 30 KW LP Gas MAXI-POWER DISPATCH 330 Fonderwhite Rd. Lebanon, PA 17042 717-273-4544 1-800-272-MAXI ALUMINUM GRAIN BODIES & ALUMINUM REPAIRS by These ultra-light bodies are designed for strength through engineering, not strength with bulk. For example, a 16' grain body with tailgate and 48" si w length or any side height up to 60". • Double swinging hay • Diamond flooring hauling tailgate • Puli out panel tailgates • Barn door type tailgate • Any size grain chute • Slide out cattle chutes HEWEY WELDING Box 2312, RD4 Lebanon, PA 17042 (717)867-5222 salads there. If you buy cold cuts to make your own platter, be sure to observe the “seli-by” or “use by** date marked on the package. Wrap the meats well to prevent them from drying out, and store the platter in the refrigerator. Kept jn the original vacuum-sealed package, lunch meats can be stor ed safely in your refrigerator for two weeks. Once the package has been opened, wrap the meats well and use them within three to five days. If you must cook, do it ahead of time. Cooking a ham, chicken or roast in advance will help keep you out of the kitchen during the game. However, be sure you-don’t cook them too far in advance, or you may run into problems with harmful or spoilage bacteria. Cooked meats and poultry can be sliced into small pieces, covered completely, and safely stored in a We'll build you any refrigerator for three or four days, provided they aren’t smothered with broth or gravy. Broth or gravy can harbor bacteria, so don’t keep these foods in the refrigera lor more than a day or two. For best results, drain and refrigerate the broth for gravy in a separate container and prepare it on the day of the dinner. Another tip to help keep you out of the kitchen is to use a slow cooker to prepare Swedish meat balls, stews or other hot foods. Make sure the slow cooker is operated properly, by starting foods cooking on high and then re duce the temperaUire to a lower setting. Do not overstuff cooker, so the food can cook all the way through. To spread a worry-free feast keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. The danger zone for bacter ial growth is between 40 and 140 degrees F. Frequently wash your hands and any cutting surfaces, knives or other utensils used in food preparation. Cross-contam ination can occur if a utensil or cutting board is used initially for raw meat or poultry and then for other foods. If you’re serving hot foods, heat them above 140 degrees F then, use chafing dishes or hot plates to keep the following foods hot: cas seroles, stews, baked beans or cheese dips. If you can’t keep all of the foods hot at once, store some in the refrigerator and heat them as needed to replenish the $0 I • Solid Stats Ignition • Auto ' Clutch • ‘Sight-Glass Primer* | Helps Prevent Flooding I* Designed For all Position Operation • Weighs i Only 9.6 Lbs. • Includes Shoulder Strap • 2 Yr. I Limited Consumer Warranty Modal N 8251 GRASS TRIMMBR/BRUSH CUTTER • 24.5 ee two-cycle Robin engine • Robin straight shaft • Quick Feed Poly T**' Line Head • Shoulder Strap • Tool Kit • Weight: 5.6 Lb. {' «6 ®. •*> w Union Co. JX. Peachy And tons Winfield, PA 17tH . 717-806-0405 lifftMiiif c °- UMiwCa. llueotwupmfiii - Chasten!fflU 4c talas talas and tarvloa 434 Newport Rd. Christiana, PA 17804 Ranks, PA 17872 810-080-3888 serving dishes. Also, keep track of how long cold foods have been in the refrig erator. Don’t leave perishable foods out at room temperature for more than two hours. Put small portions out on the table and re plenish them from the refrigerator. Discard all perishable foods that have been held at room tempera ture longer then the recommended m Happenings Chester County Captures 5 Championships Chester County 4-H Dairy members won one junior champi onship and four reserve champi onships at the 49th Southeast Dis trict 4-H Dairy Show at the Kutz town Fairgrounds. There were 207 animals exhib ited from eight southeastern Pennsylvania counties including Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northamp ton, and Schuylkill. Among the animals exhibited were 78 Hol steins, 27 Ayrshires, 17 Brown Swiss, 26 Guernseys, 51 Jerseys, six Milking Shorthorns, and two Linebacks. Patty McMurray, 4-H leader and Holstein and Guernsey breeder from Washington Coun ty, Pennsylvania picked Rebecca Nolan’s Winter Yearling, S & M S® ROBIN HEDGE AND GRASS TRIMMERS "As Good As The Best and Better Than The Rest” Ask Any Owner NBFI7I RASS BRUSH CUTTER SPECIAL PROMOTION PRII $299“ Umcin ofPA Martin dale, PA 717-440-4041 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Octobtr 1, 1994-823 two-hour limit. You can freeze leftovers, ex cept for salads that contain mayonnaise. The mayonnaise will separate if frozen, and when you defrost the food, it will be Oily. Most cooked red meats can be stored in the freezer up to three months and sliced chicken and turkey can be frozen for about a month. Ayr Irs Ola, for junior champion of the Ayrshire show. Rebecca is a first-year member from Cochranville. Kelly Young, West Grove, was chosen the reserve junior champion with Pure-Ayr Suzie Q Twinkie, a winter calf. Her sister, Kathryn Young, showed an outstanding junior 2- year-old Ayrshire, Pure-Ayr Sur plus’s R.R. Clover, for reserve senior and reserve grand champi on. In the Jersey breed, Erica Lloyd, Pottstown, was named the reserve senior and reserve grand champion with a fine senior 3- year-old, Patrick Joyce. Tarik Gaffney captured the reserve junior champion award with Top- O-Hill Admiral Thimble, a fall calf. In all, Chester County 4- H’ers took first place in 17 differ ent age classes. • 20.3 cc (1.1 HP) two-cyde Robin ongino with solid state ignition • Diaphragm-type carburetor designed 'for easy starting and all-position operation 24-inch blade with a tooth pitch of 1.4 inches • Two-year lim 'sd •" “ . Modol NFIIBDM BACK-PACK DUSTER & MIST BLOWER • 40.2 oc (2 HP) two-cyr ■Robin engine with sr state ignition • Standi equipment includes 60-ii Interlocking discharge tut set, mist attachments, stat discharge chain and tool kit • Two-year limited consumer warranty • Weight 23.4 lbs. 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