Mishandling food can spoil holidays Published Dec. 3, 2007 Defense Commissary Agency KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- -- Food and the holidays go hand-in-hand, but food can cause illness if not handled correctly. Here are tips to stay healthy and fight food-borne bacteria: Keep hot foods hot (140 °F or above) and cold foods cold (40 °F or below). Wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after preparing raw meat, poultry and seafood. Use a clean food thermometer to make sure raw meat and poultry have been cooked to a safe internal temperature. Wash the thermometer in hot, soapy water between uses. Separate raw meat , poultry and seafood from other foods in your grocery store shopping cart and in your refrigerator. Consider using one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood products and another one for fresh fruits and vegetables. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, and seafood. Place cooked food on a clean platter. If you put cooked food on an unwashed platter that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood, bacteria could contaminate the safely-cooked food. To prevent juices from raw meat, poultry or seafood from dripping onto other foods in your refrigerator, place them in sealed containers, plastic bags or on a plate or tray. Store them on the bottom shelf so they don't drip onto foods below them. Don't taste or use sauce that was used to marinate raw meat, poultry or seafood on cooked foods unless you boil it before applying. The color of cooked meat and poultry is not a sure sign of its degree of doneness. Using a food thermometer is the only way to accurately determine that meat and poultry have reached safe internal temperatures. For beef and pork, cook beef roasts and steaks to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare or to 160 for medium, ground beef and raw sausages to 160, ready-to-eat sausages to 165, and pork roasts, chops or ground patties to 160 for medium, or 170 for well done. For poultry, cook whole birds to 180, ground poultry and stuffing to 165, and chicken breasts to 170. Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Don't use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked. Cook fish until it's opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Avoid eating raw oysters or shellfish. People with liver disorders or weakened immune systems are especially at risk for getting sick. When reheating leftovers, heat them to at least 165.