Holiday Baking Food Safety and Bake-Along

— Written By
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

The Countdown to the Holidays is On!

2020 has presented some challenges so let’s not add foodborne illness to it! Here are some tips to follow for food safety while completing your holiday baking this year!

There are two main concerns in baked goods that could cause foodborne illness. You may have already guessed one which is eggs but raw flour can cause illness as well. There have been outbreaks of Salmonella and E. Coli that have been linked to flour since raw flour is not treated to destroy bacteria. We suggest not choosing recipes that call for flour, baking mixes, or pre-packaged doughs or rolls that are not fully cooked. 

If choosing a recipe with uncooked flour you can do two things:

a) you can purchase heated treated flour OR 

b) bake flour on a single baking sheet at 350ºF for 5 minutes 

Steps to take Caution During the Baking Process 

Keeping Clean

Before: Make sure you are starting with clean hands, utensils, and surface area. 

During: Then wash your hands after handling raw flours and unbaked batters/doughs. Wash hands when changing tasks in the kitchen. 

After: Make sure to clean work surface areas and utensils with warm water and soap after working with the batter/dough. 

Decorating The Baked Goods

Make sure to use pasteurized egg whites for frostings and icings

Wash hands often during decorating. Do not touch your face or hair and try not to lick your fingers (I know this is hard with the yummy icing!) Bacteria from hands have been linked to outbreaks (Norovirus and Staph Aureus) from baked goods 

Storing Your Baked Goods

Many baked goods such as your breads, muffins, cookies, etc. can be stored at room temperature (due to their low moisture/ high sugar content) but you will want to cover them! If you find that you will not consume them in 1-2 days, store them in the refrigerator or freeze. Wrap tightly to prevent staleness! 

Baked goods that have creams, custards, cheese, meat or vegetable filling or cream fillings, or ones that are egg-based like egg pudding need to be held in the refrigerator for safe storage. 

Freezing baked goods are an option but they will start to suffer from some changes in flavor and texture around the 2-3 month mark (6-12 months for cookies). Cream-based baked goods may suffer from sogginess or separation from freezing. 

Remember that homemade baked goods are different than store-bought baked goods and will start to experience spoilage issues faster since they are lacking the preservatives that make them shelf-stable for longer. 

Read more: 

Baking Food Safety

Storing Bread and Baked Foods

Granny’s Sugar Cookie Recipe Shown in Video 

Granny’s Sugar Cookies

Granny's Sugar Cookie Recipe

Written By

Ashley Szilvay, N.C. Cooperative ExtensionAshley SzilvayExtension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences Call Ashley Email Ashley N.C. Cooperative Extension, Lee County Center
Updated on May 17, 2021
Was the information on this page helpful? Yes check No close
Scannable QR Code to Access Electronic Version