If it's your turn to have the family or the office crowd over during the holidays or at other times, consider serving buffet style rather than tackling a sit-down dinner. There are just a few food safety rules to remember.

1. Keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold, and don't leave any food in the DANGER ZONE (between 41ºF and 140° F) for more than 2 hours.
2. Keep cold foods refrigerated and use small serving trays to serve food from the refrigerator.
3. For hot food, re-heat small servings from the refrigerator to replenish the buffet as needed.
4. "Ready to eat" foods containing meat, poultry, or dairy products must stay in the refrigerator until you are ready eat them. That includes pumpkin or cream-type pies and cakes with egg-white frosting.
5. You CAN leave most raw fruits and vegetables, hard cheeses, fruit pies, cakes without egg white frosting, and cookies out for most of the day.
6. Cut melon must be thrown out after 2 hours!
7. If you're buying a hot, ready-to-eat turkey, keep it hot (140° F or above) until serving it. Within two hours of serving, cut it into small pieces and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool. After the turkey is cold, you can cover it.
8. Remember to WASH your hands often. Wash them especially after going to the bathroom, changing a diaper, handling raw meat or poultry, or serving or eating food.