节日摆自助餐守两小时规则：热食保温140度以上，冷食40度以下，在桌上超两小时就扔
美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）说，节日的重头戏常是摆一桌自助餐招待客人，菜做得再有创意，也要把食品安全放在前面。FDA 的这份自助餐指引把规矩浓缩成几条可量的数字，照着做就能让早到的和晚到的客人吃到一样安全的菜。
份量先做小。拿不准客人吃得多快时，把盛菜的份量做小，提前备好多份小盘，席间用新做好的盘子换下快空的盘子，不要往已经装了菜的盘子里续加新菜，因为客人的手会把细菌带进菜里，细菌在室温下会繁殖。热菜的备份放在华氏200到250度的烤箱里，冷菜的备份放在冰箱里。
温度是第二条线：热食的内部温度要保持在华氏140度或以上，用食品温度计确认，用暖锅、慢炖锅和保温托盘保温，并留意有些保温器只能把食物保持在110到120度，达不到挡住细菌的温度，买之前看清产品标签。冷食要保持在华氏40度或以下，上桌前一直冷藏；如果冷食要在餐桌上放超过两小时，把装冷食的盘子放在冰上保冷。蛋类菜如蛋奶酥等要再吃时，先彻底加热到华氏165度再上桌。
最后是时钟：常温下放超过两小时的易腐食物要扔掉，除非一直保温或保冷；如果聚会场所温度在华氏90度以上，安全时间缩短到一小时。剩菜也一样，客人到家后马上冷藏，最迟不超过两小时。（来源：美国食品药品监督管理局）
Holiday Buffets Run on the Two-Hour Rule: Hot Food at 140 Degrees or Above, Cold Food at 40 or Below, Discard After Two Hours Out
Entertaining is a mainstay of the holiday season, and a home buffet can be creative and safe at the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says in its Serving Up Safe Buffets guidance, which reduces the rules to a few measurable numbers so early and late guests alike eat food held safely.
Start with size. If you are not sure how quickly food will be eaten, keep serving portions small, prepare a number of small platters ahead of time, and replace serving dishes with fresh ones through the party rather than adding new food to an already filled dish, because bacteria from guests' hands can contaminate food and multiply at room temperature. Keep cold backups in the refrigerator and hot dishes in an oven set at 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
Temperature is the second line: hot foods should be kept at an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer, checked with a food thermometer and held in chafing dishes, slow cookers or warming trays, with a warning that some warmers hold food only at 110 to 120 degrees, so labels should be checked for the capability to hold 140 degrees or warmer. Cold foods should be kept at 40 degrees or colder, refrigerated until serving time, and if cold food will sit on the buffet table longer than two hours, plates of cold food should be placed on ice. Egg dishes such as quiches or soufflés may be refrigerated for later serving but should be reheated thoroughly to 165 degrees before serving.
Then the clock: discard any perishables left out at room temperature for more than two hours unless they are being kept hot or cold, and if the room is above 90 degrees, the safe holding time drops to one hour. Leftovers sent home with guests should be refrigerated as soon as they arrive home, and within two hours. (Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
来源：美国食品药品监督管理局
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：一桌感恩节晚餐。Wikimedia Commons 图片。 / Photo: A Thanksgiving dinner table. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
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