Yeasts can be either friend or foe but they are not the problem that molds and bacteria are.  Molds are microscopic fungi that float through the air, land on food (a good reason to keep food covered), and start to grow when conditions are right.  The silken threads of these fungi can cause streaks of discoloration in the food or cover it with a mat of fuzz.  There are three ways that mold can make our guests sick even when there is no visible presence.  The mold may be dispersed in the food but still concentrated enough to harm, molds leave behind harmful microtoxins, and they lower the acidity of some foods allowing bacteria to thrive.  We fight molds in two ways—avoiding contamination as much as possible and controlling temperatures.  Molds don’t grow below 32 degrees and they die above 140 degrees. 

Bacteria are the big, bad bullies on the block and are far tougher than molds and yeasts.  The three bacteria strains that typically cause food poisoning are salmonella, staphylococcus, and botulism.  All require a moist environment to grow and between 50 degrees and 140 degrees, the bacteria load can grow at a staggering rate.  Under these conditions, foods with minimal contamination can be dangerously loaded with bacteria in just a few hours.  Dry foods are safe but moist foods, particularly meats and dairy products, carry bacteria—especially staphylococcus.   Botulism is the most toxic--the poison thrown off by botulism is so powerful that a single teaspoon of toxin could kill thousands of people.  

Bacteria can be contained with temperatures.  Bacteria are inactive or nearly so at temperatures below 40 degrees.  Temperatures above 145 degrees begin to kill bacteria.  Keep cold foods below 40 degrees and hot foods above 145. 

(A common myth is that we can make contaminated food safe by heating it.  Not so—at least not so without extended boiling or a pressure cooker.  We can kill the bacteria at high temperatures but the toxins they leave behind can be dangerous.  Never attempt to sanitize unsafe food by reheating it.) 

We can avoid most ugly encounters with food poisoning by following three rules:

1. Clean and sanitize work surfaces often.   Recognize that there is a difference between clean and sanitized.  Use a bleach solution or a cleaner with bleach to sanitize surfaces.  We use Clorox Clean-up . . . a lot.  (Be careful to keep cleaners such as this away from clothes—they do bleach.)
2. Avoid contamination—especially from such sources as raw turkey juices and unclean meat thermometers.  Wash and disinfect your hands often.  We use Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer after washing. 
3. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.  Remember that the enemy thrives in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees.  Use a thermometer to ensure that foods are held at the right temperatures.  Since microorganisms are multiplying in this temperature range, minimize the time that food is held in this range.  Remember that leaving the food on the counter for an hour will allow existing bacteria to multiply.  Placing it in the refrigerator will cause them to become inactive, once the food is thoroughly chilled, only to become active and begin multiplying again if the food is subsequently left out.

We hope you have a wonderful, safe holiday and enjoy the wonderful foods that are available without mishap.  Following these rules will help.

 
Refer a Friend

If you have friend or family member that you think would appreciate these newsletters you can share with them in three ways.  Contact us with an email and we will contact your friend with subscription information.  Click here to sign up your friend yourself or forward this email to friend with the suggestion that they subscribe.  Every subscriber will have a chance to win 1000 cookies (mixes to make 1,000 cookies to be exact) on Christmas Eve. 

There is no cost and your friends can unsubscribe at any time with the click of a button. 

Building Better Burgers

Build a better burger with a better bun.  It’s amazing how much difference a really good bun can make.  Instead of the bun being merely a carrier for the meat and condiments, a really good bun will be as much of a treat as the contents.  The burger and the bun should complement each other perfectly.

We discovered how good a hamburger bun can be years ago.  After all this experience and experimentation, we discovered that a Rustic Potato French Bread mix makes a great hamburger bun.  And as busy are we are—especially at this time of year—the best part of these buns may be their convenience:  Mix, let rise, form into shapes, and bake.  The mix goes together quickly (just add water and butter) and you can be doing other things during the rising and the baking. 

These also make great sandwich rolls.  Try them with your favorite deli meat.

We suggest having several of these mixes on hand to make buns or to make homemade French bread.  Either will be a special treat for your family.  See how to make these superb hamburger or sandwich buns from a Rustic Potato French Bread Mix by clicking here. 

Gift Giving with a Personal Message

We are delighted with those who are ordering our premium baking mixes for gifts.   Many of you are sending these as thoughtful gifts to family and friends far away.  We’ll try to make it easy for you.  We’ll ship nearly anywhere you direct.  We will even include a card with a personal message if you desire (click here to see). 

A customer from Indiana wanted to send our mixes as a wedding gift.  Debbie, our talented graphics person, made a wedding card and inscribed it with her special message.  So now we have a wedding card available.  Need a birthday card?  No problem.  We’ll do that for you too.

The most popular gifts are our Samplers--collections of four different bread mixes in one Mylar package.  Cookie Companion Paks--two types of cookie mixes in one package--are also popular.  To learn more about Samplers or to purchase Samplers from $9.95 for a package of four mixes, click here. 

Picture Perfect Bread

Last week we told you how to make picture perfect bar cookies.  This week, let’s see if we can make picture perfect bread.  The secret—at least most of it—is in the rise.  The most common mistake that we see in bread making is not letting the dough rise enough. 

So how do we know when the bread has risen enough?  The dough will double in size.  It will be soft and look a bit airy.  When you touch it with your finger, it will feel soft and an indention in the dough will remain.  If it feels a bit springy and the dough bounces back from the indentation, it hasn’t risen enough. 

To help you tell when your bread has risen enough, we’ve told you how long to let the bread rise at normal kitchen temperatures.  (The stated time is a guideline but it’s usually pretty accurate if you are using water at the recommended temperature.  Set the timer and forget about the bread until you hear the timer.)  
 

Can you let bread rise too much?  Yes—but most of us are too impatient to let that happen often.  If it does rise too much, it will be blistered, so soft it won’t hold its form, and may even collapse.  No problem.  Just gently knead some of the air from the dough, reshape the loaves, and let it rise again.  It will rise more quickly the second time. 

Sometimes, the bread dough is too dry or too wet.  That won’t happen often if you carefully measure the water.  E-Z Bake bread dough will be sticky.  Traditional bread dough will be soft and barely sticky but dry enough to handle with a little flour on your hands.   Environmental conditions, such as humidity or water hardness, may affect the moisture in the dough.  If you feel that your dough is too wet or dry, add another tablespoon or two of flour or dribble in a tablespoon of water. 

One more thing--when you put your loaves into the oven, allow as much space as possible between the loaves and between the loaves and oven walls.  If air can’t circulate properly around the loaves, the loaves will be misshapen. 

Baking bread is an art.  With a little practice, anyone can have picture perfect bread.  Even when it is not picture perfect, it is a treat to enjoy. 

Your friends at,
 
The
Prepared Pantry
www.preparedpantry.com