Pass the pie at Festive Friday

By Alice Wadley
Staff Writer

Festive Friday was full of holiday advice. The topic for the month was pass the pie. Barbra Jones gave the Food Sense tips for the month.
She advised everyone to take advantage of food sales on holiday items. Food safety should be top priority when preparing your holiday meals. One key to avoid food borne illness is to remember the acronym FAT TOM. Bacteria needs Food to grow, specifically proteins and carbohydrates. They are more likely to have harmful bacteria on them because the bacteria has something to eat. Some of the foods are: meat, fish, potatoes, rice, beans, eggs and dairy products.
Bacteria grows best under slightly acidic or neutral conditions. A majority of the foods we eat fall into the neutral range on the pH scale, which means bacteria grows on them.
The temperature is important to remember. Food should not be kept in the 40-140 degree range for more than two hours.
The time the food is left out is important to monitor. Bacteria can double every 20 minutes when left in the temperature danger zone. It is very important to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
Some bacteria need oxygen to grow and some do not. Sealing out oxygen can help to keep food fresh longer.
Most bacteria need moisture to grow. This is why bacteria grows well in high moisture foods.
The most common ways foods are handled improperly are time-temperature abuse, cross contamination and poor personal hygiene. Time-temperature abuse is when foods are allowed to stay too long in temperatures that allow bacteria growth. When cooking, cooling or storing food it is important to not leave food in the danger zone (40-140 degrees) for more than two hours. Store food quickly after shopping, cooking or reheating. Promptly cooling and storing leftover foods will keep you much safer.
Cross contamination is when harmful bacteria are transferred from one surface or food to another. Do not use the same cutting board to chop vegetables that you used to cut meat. All surfaces should be sanitized prior to using them and after using them.
Wash your hands before, during and after the cooking process. Keep your hair back and don’t let it touch the food. Some very basic hygiene practices can help you avoid contamination.
Christine Jensen welcomed the guest speaker, Gaelynn Peterson from the Wayne County USU Extension.
She is a pie making expert. She demonstrated how to make her favorite pie crust. It is the one she has made since she was a child. Some of the tips were to mix the pie crust until it comes together and forms pea size pieces. The less you handle pie crust the better it will be. The most common errors in making pie crust is overmixing it and adding too much flour. Once you have your pie crust mixed form a ball and prepare to roll it out. Peterson’s tip to roll out pie crust is to use two pieces of plastic wrap.
The cheap kind works the best because it doesn’t stick very well. If the dough is too sticky add a little flour to the plasic wrap and pie crust. Put one layer of plastic wrap on the table and place the pie crust on top. Cover with the second piece of plastic wrap. Use your rolling pin to roll out the pie crust to the desired consistency. Remove the top layer of plastic and set aside. Now you can pick up the bottom piece of plastic wrap with the pie crust on it and turn it over onto the pie plate. Once the crust is in the pie plate you can add your filling. Follow the same process for the top pie crust if the recipe calls for a top crust.
You can use an egg wash, milk or sugar for the top layer to give it a lovely crust. Cut vent holes with scissors in the top crust.
You can make the top layer as fancy as you want if you are using it as a presentation dish. Peterson had prepared an apple pie and a chocolate pie, which she shared with everyone in attendance.
If you missed this month’s Festive Friday and would like to watch the pie crust video, visit livewellutah.org and search for pie crust.
The next festive Friday will be on Dec. 15 at noon at the county building in Castle Dale. It is the annual potluck. There is no charge for December. Bring a dish to share with everyone. The topic will be holiday leftovers.