Food Safety Tips for Thanksgiving
With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, the Board of Health would like to share some food safety tips to keep your family and friends safe from foodborne illness.
Store turkey correctly
Frozen raw turkey should be stored in the freezer until ready to thaw. Make sure your freezer is at 0˚F or below. Don’t store a turkey in a place where you can’t closely control the temperature, such as in a car trunk, basement, back porch, or in the snow.
New raw turkey can be stored in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days before cooking. Thaw Turkey Safely
Use one of these methods to defrost your turkey.
Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator.
Keep your turkey in its original packaging and place it in a container before putting it in the refrigerator. The container will prevent turkey juice from dripping onto other foods. Allow approximately 24 hours to thaw for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can stay in the refrigerator once thawed for 1 to 2 days before cooking.
Thaw your turkey in cold water.
Make sure your turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag before placing it in the sink. The bag will prevent turkey juice from spilling in the kitchen. The bag will also prevent the turkey from absorbing water, which could cause the cooked turkey to turn runny. Be sure to completely cover the turkey with cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes to thaw for each pound of turkey. A turkey thawed in cold water should be cooked immediately after thawing.
Thaw your turkey in the microwave.
Follow the microwave manufacturer’s instructions for defrosting the turkey. A turkey thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing.
Never thaw your turkey by leaving it out on the counter.
A turkey must be thawed to a safe temperature. When a turkey sits at room temperature for more than 2 hours, its temperature becomes unsafe even if the center is still frozen. Germs can grow quickly in the “danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F.
Learn more about defrosting turkeys.
Handle turkey correctly to prevent the spread of germs
Raw turkey and its juices can contaminate anything they touch. Be sure to handle your turkey correctly to prevent harmful germs from spreading to other foods or to your family and friends. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling the turkey. Use a cutting board for raw turkey and a separate cutting board for vegetables, bread, and other foods that won’t be cooked. Never place cooked food or fresh produce on a plate, cutting board, or other surface that contains raw turkey. Wash cutting boards, utensils, dishes, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing the raw turkey and before preparing the next item.
Learn more about the four steps to food safety: clean, separate, cook, and chill.
Washing raw turkey can spread germs to other foods.
Federal agencies have recommended not washing turkey or chicken since 2005. But a 2020 survey* found that 78% of participants reported washing or rinsing their turkey before cooking. Old recipes and family cooking traditions may tempt you to continue this practice, but they can make you and your family sick. Poultry juice can spread in the kitchen and contaminate other food, utensils, and countertops.
If you wash raw turkey, immediately clean and thoroughly sanitize the sink and surrounding area. A USDA study found that 1 in 7 people who cleaned their sink after washing chicken still had germs in the sink.
*Source: Porter Novelli Consumer Styles 2020 survey of 3,625 adults in the United States
Cook the stuffing well
It is safer to cook the stuffing in a saucepan than inside the turkey. Cooking the stuffing in a saucepan makes it easy to make sure the stuffing is cooked through. If you cook stuffing in the turkey, put it in the turkey just before cooking.
With any cooking method, use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the filling reaches 165°F. Germs can survive in a filling that has not reached 165°F. If you cooked the stuffing in your turkey, wait 20 minutes after removing the bird from the oven before removing the stuffing. This allows the filling to cook a bit longer.
Cook turkey to a safe temperature
To roast a turkey in your oven, set the oven temperature to at least 325°F. Place fully thawed turkey in 2 to 2-1/2-inch deep roasting pan. Cooking times depend on the weight of the turkey and whether it is stuffed.
Use a food thermometer to make sure your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
Check by inserting a food thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. Even if your turkey has a pop-up timer, you should use a food thermometer to check that it is safely cooked. If you stuffed your turkey, insert a food thermometer into the center of the stuffing to make sure it reaches 165°F. Remember to let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before removing all the stuffing and carving the meat. This will allow the stuffing to cook a bit longer and make the turkey easier to carve.
If you are cooking your turkey using another methodsuch as smoking or frying, or if you are roasting a turkey that is not completely thawed, follow these guidelines to cook your bird safely.
Learn more about safe internal temperatures for other foods and how to use a food thermometer.
take care of leftovers
Follow these tips to safely store and reheat your leftovers. Refrigerate leftovers at 40°F or below within 2 hours of cooking to prevent food poisoning. Refrigerate leftovers that have been exposed to temperatures above 90°F, such as in a hot car, within 1 hour. If you are refrigerating a large cut of meat, such as a turkey or roast, cut it into smaller pieces so they cool quickly. You do not need to wait until food is cold to store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Eat cooked turkey and dishes made from it, such as soup or stew, within 3 to 4 days. Freeze leftovers to keep them longer. Reheat all leftovers to at least 165°F before serving or eating.
Source: news.google.com