You Asked It!

Category: January 2024

Eggnog Tips for Ringing in the New Year!

EggnogPhoto: Canva.com
Eggnog Photo: Canva.com

As we turn the calendar to a new year, many are planning to celebrate with New Year’s Eve parties. One festive beverage commonly served is eggnog made with raw eggs. Here are some tips to safely ring in the new year and keep Salmonella bacteria away from your party.

  • Alcohol does not kill bacteria. Heat is the only way to kill bacteria.
  • Adding hot coffee to eggnog made with raw eggs will not make it safe. When adding cold eggnog to hot coffee, the temperature drops too much. The best tip is to cook the eggnog to a minimum 160°F to kill Salmonella.
  • Store-bought eggnog is pasteruized and is a safe alternative to raw egg eggnog recipes. This heats the eggs to a high temperature for a short time to kill any bacteria that may be present.
  • Use egg substitutes or pasteurized eggs in place of raw eggs.

Making your own eggnog? Cook the eggs in part of the milk, along with other ingredients to make a hot custard mixture. Heat gently in a large heavy saucepan or double boiler, to prevent scorching, to a minimum 160°F. Chill this mixture and add other ingredients before serving. Here’s a recipe from the American Egg Board.

Happy New Year!

Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/12/busting-eggnog-myths-for-new-years-eve-safety/

 

Still Time to Bake to Give!

holiday cookies
Happy Holidays!
Photo: Canva.com

The Home Baking Association encourages bakers of all all ages to share what you bake during the holidays!

A gift of home baked goodies is a thoughtful way to show someone you care at any occasion. It brings a smile and warms their hearts. So here are some reasons to bake to give:

  • Baked goods are cost effective. You can make a large batch of cookies and they can be divided into several gifts.
  • Customize the goodies to suit the recipient’s taste and preferences. Use their favorite colors, flavors and toppings!
  • Does there need to be a holiday? Not at all, just give to spread joy and bring people together.
  • The holidays are stressful enough, so it might not be the time to try new recipes. Stick to what you know for less stress and more success!
  • Add personal touches to the box or wrapping to add some sparkle!

Keep in mind these extra tips when baking to give:

  • Always practice safe food handling steps. Wash your hands before, during and after baking. Clean as you go to make final clean-up easier.
  • Consider dietary restrictions such as food allergens.
  • Don’t taste before you bake! Raw eggs and raw flour have been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks. Remember to wash your hands after handling raw dough and batter.
  • Consider transportation. Decortive tin boxes are sturdy to prevent damage. Maybe give the gift a baking pan with the baked good. Serving trays are great food cookies and can be wrapped in plastic wrap.

Learn more from the Home Baking Association.

Last Minute Food Gifts!

kitchen giftsGifts from the kitchen are popular and can be easy gifts for guests, neighbors, co-workers and others. Here are some resources to put together a quick gift in a jar from soup mixes to cookie mixes.

As always, use safe food handling practices for your gifts. Wash your hands. Use clean containers and equipment. Be sure the closure fits well to prevent damage or spills. Don’t forget to add the instructions to the container!

Still Time to Bake Holiday Cookies!

cookie
Photo: USDA ARS

There are thousands of cookie recipes in a variety of shapes, sizes, textures, and flavors.  During the holidays, cookies are a special treat and everyone has a favorite.  Let’s see how a traditional chocolate chip cookie can be altered for a different look.

Chocolate chip manufacturers have made special holiday shapes.  Simply replace the regular chips with these fancy chips.  Try adding some frosting and colored sprinkles for extra sparkle.

To change the texture and color, try these tips, one at a time, from the book CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher:

For More Spread

  • Use butter
  • Increase liquid 1-2 tablespoons
  • Increase sugar 1-2 tablespoons
  • Warm cold ingredients to room temperature, don’t refrigerate dough

For More Puff

  • Use shortening
  • Use cake flour
  • Reduce sugar a couple tablespoons
  • Use all baking powder
  • Use cold ingredients or refrigerate dough

For More Tenderness

  • Use cake flour

 

Keep Your Pets Safe from Holiday Hazards

While you gather with family and friends for the holidays, don’t forget your pets. Here are some tips from FDA Consumer Update, Keep Your Dogs and Cats Safe from Holiday Hazards, to give a stocking full of safe treats to your favorite pet.

  • Spread out the pet treats so they don’t gobble them up all at once.
  • Keep an eye on pets playing with tinsel, ribbons and bows. If eaten, they can cause serious stomach and intestinal damage.
  • If making homemade play dough or salt-dough ornaments, these are not treats for your pets. High amounts of salt can be deadly.
  • Holiday plants like poinsettias, mistletoe, or holly are not tasty treats for pets. Keep them away from their reach.
  • Table scraps can upset your pets stomach. Avoid giving them fat trimmings, turkey, chicken or meat bones, or skin from roasted turkey or chicken. These can cause illness and bones can get stuck in your pets esopagus, stomach, or trachea. Keep trash cans hidden so they don’t try to grab a snack.
  • Some human foods are not pet friendly. For example, some holiday treats contain xylitol. If your pet consumes this ingredient, it can cause lowering of blood sugar, decreased activity, weakness and even seizures. Chocolate can cause liver failure, bleeding disorders, and death. Keep pets away from alcohol.
  • Snack bags may look like toys to pets. But if they get their noses inside the bags, they can get stuck and could lead to suffocation.

Great Plains Growers Conference

Great Plains Growers Conference (GPGC) is a great local conference for commercial fruit and vegetable producers from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and other Midwest states providing research-based information, from both vegetable research specialists and local growers, to help your farms grow and thrive.

When: January 11-14, 2024
Where: Missouri Western University, St. Joseph, MO

Updated Food Preservation Publications

Preserv it Fresh, Preserve it SafeThe following K-State Research and Extension publications have been recently updated in both English and Spanish:

10 Tips for Safe Home Canned Food – MF3170 and MF3170S

Sassy Safe Salsa at Home – MF3171 and MF 3171S

What’s Your Elevation? – MF3172 and MF 3172S

Dry Meat Safely at Home – MF3173 and MF3173S

How-to Guide to Water Bath Canning and Steam Canning – MF3241 and MF3241S

How-to Guide to Pressure Canning – MF3242 and MF3242S

Progress is being made to update other KSRE Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe publications.

See all publications at https://www.rrc.k-state.edu/preservation/index.html.

2024 Regional Farmers Market Workshops

Farmers Market
Farmers Market
Photo: Canva.com

We’re back in person! Planning is taking place to have in-person Regional Farmers Market workshops in early 2024. Save the dates below for locations and plan to attend. More information will be coming soon and will be available on the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab website.

Locations and dates include:

Olathe—February 9 at K-State Olathe campus

Hutchinson—February 10 at Hutchinson Community College

Parsons—February 23 at KSRE Southeast Exension Center

Hays—March 1 at K-State Agricultural Research Center

 

Lead in Applesauce Pouches

Pouches of applesauce can be an easy treat for children. But a recent recall of certain brands of applesauce, because of lead contamination, has lead to 69 compliants/reports in children under 6 years of age.

Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Protecting children from exposure to lead is particularly important because they are more susceptible to lead toxicity. Most children have no obvious immediate symptoms. Parents and caretakers should consult a healthcare provider if you suspect a child may have been exposed to lead. Short term exposure to lead could result in the following symptoms: headache; abdominal pain/colic; vomiting; anemia. Longer term exposure could result in the following additional symptoms: irritability; lethargy; fatigue; muscle aches or muscle prickling/burning; constipation; difficulty concentrating/muscular weakness; tremor; weight loss.

These products have been available, and may still be available nationally through multiple retailers, including Amazon, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar/Dollar Tree combination stores, and other online retailers.

lead in applesauce
Recalled brands of applesauce pouches
Photo: FDA

The Food and Drug Adminstration recommends the following:

  • Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled WanaBana, Schnucks, or Weis-brand apple cinnamon pouches and should discard them.
  • These products have a long shelf life. Consumers should check their homes and discard these products.
  • To properly discard the product, consumers and retailers should carefully open the pouch and empty the content into a trash can before discarding the packaging to prevent others from salvaging recalled product from the trash. Clean up any spills after discarding the product then wash your hands.
  • Most children have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure. If there’s suspicion that a child may have been exposed to lead, parents should talk to their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.
  • Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of lead toxicity after eating recalled fruit pouches.
  • If you or your child have symptoms or exposure to this product, you can also file a complaint or adverse event report (illness or serious allergic reaction).

Learn more at https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023 and to view pictures of the recalled products.