![\"turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness\"](\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_034_shutterstock_1433323214.jpg\")
\t\tTurkeys may contain harmful bacteria that can be spread by improper handling and are only destroyed by properly cooking the turkey to a safe internal minimum temperature.<\/p>\n
Similarly, leaving leftovers out for too long, or not taking care to properly clean cooking and serving surfaces, can lead to other types of illness.<\/p>\n
Basic Food Safety Turkey Tips<\/h3>\n
To avoid making everyone at the table sick, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) offers basic tips for a food safe Thanksgiving:<\/p>\n
Safe Preparation: Don\u2019t Wash the Turkey<\/h3>\n
The USDA does not recommend washing raw meat and poultry before cooking. Washing raw meat and poultry can cause bacteria to spread up to three feet away. Cooking (baking, broiling, boiling, frying or grilling) meat and poultry to the right temperature is the only method to kill bacteria.<\/p>\n
![\"USDA](\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/28388906513_bd504f1e49_h.jpg\")
\t\tSafe Preparation: Defrosting or Thawing the Frozen Turkey<\/h3>\n
Thawing turkeys must be kept at a safe temperature. The “danger zone” is between 40 and 140\u00b0F \u2014 the temperature range where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly. While frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely, but as soon as it begins to thaw, bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to grow again, if it is in the “danger zone.”<\/p>\n
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There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in a microwave oven<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n
Refrigerator Thawing<\/strong>
When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator:<\/p>\n- \n
- Plan ahead: allow approximately 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 \u00b0F or below.<\/li>\n
- Place the turkey in a container to prevent the juices from dripping on other foods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Refrigerator Thawing Times\u00a0 – Whole turkey:<\/em><\/p>\n
- \n
- 4 to 12 pounds \u2014 1 to 3 days<\/li>\n
- 12 to 16 pounds \u2014 3 to 4 days<\/li>\n
- 16 to 20 pounds \u2014 4 to 5 days<\/li>\n
- 20 to 24 pounds \u20145 to 6 days<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days before cooking. Foods thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking but there may be some loss of quality.<\/em><\/p>\n
Cold Water Thawing<\/strong>
Allow about 30 minutes per pound.
First be sure the turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent cross-contamination and to prevent the turkey from absorbing water, resulting in a watery product.
Submerge the wrapped turkey in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed.<\/p>\nCold Water Thawing Times<\/em><\/p>\n
- \n
- 4 to 12 pounds \u2014 2 to 6 hours<\/li>\n
- 12 to 16 pounds \u2014 6 to 8 hours<\/li>\n
- 16 to 20 pounds \u2014 8 to 10 hours<\/li>\n
- 20 to 24 pounds \u2014 10 to 12 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A turkey thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately. After cooking, meat from the turkey can be refrozen.<\/em><\/p>\n
Microwave Thawing<\/strong>
Follow the microwave oven manufacturer’s instruction when defrosting a turkey. Plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn’t have been destroyed.
A turkey thawed in the microwave must be cooked immediately.<\/em><\/p>\nClean Thoroughly: Prevent Cross-Contamination<\/h3>\n
Bacteria present on raw poultry can contaminate your hands, utensils, and work surfaces as you prepare the turkey. If these areas are not cleaned thoroughly before working with other foods, bacteria from the raw poultry can then be transferred to\u00a0 other foods. After working with raw poultry, always wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces before they touch other foods.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t ![\"USDA](\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/28388906023_21734c8bc6_h.jpg\")
\t\t\n\t\t\tCredit: U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\nSafe Cooking: Use a Meat Thermometer<\/h3>\n
The only way to determine if a turkey\u00a0\u2014\u00a0or any meat, poultry or seafood \u2014 is completely cooked is to check its internal temperature with a food thermometer. A whole turkey should be checked in three\u00a0locations:<\/p>\n
- \n
- the innermost part of the thigh;<\/li>\n
- the innermost part of the wing; and<\/li>\n
- the thickest part of the breast.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Your thermometer should register 165 F in all three of these places.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t ![\"USDA](\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/28388906303_3090ba437d_h.jpg\")
\t\t\n\t\t\tCredit: U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\nSafe Leftovers: Store Properly<\/h3>\n
Portion the turkey and refrigerate it as soon as you can, within two hours of the turkey coming out of the oven. Leftovers will only last for four days in the refrigerator<\/em>, so if you know you won\u2019t use them right away, pack them into freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze.<\/p>\n
For best quality, use your leftover turkey from the freezer within four months. After that, the leftovers will still be safe, but can dry out or lose flavor.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t ![\"USDA](\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/28388906753_b3b73273a7_h.jpg\")
\t\t\n\t\t\tCredit: U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\nSafe Stuffing<\/h3>\n
For optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook the stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole dish. However, if you place stuffing inside the turkey, do so just before cooking, and use a food thermometer. Make sure the center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165\u00b0F. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165\u00b0F, possibly resulting in foodborne illness.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t ![\"USDA](\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/28150320264_abb8b4d857_k.jpg\")
\t\t\n\t\t\tCredit: U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\nAdditional Turkey Food Safety Resources<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Let\u2019s Talk Turkey Brochure<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n
- USDA – Thanksgiving Toolkit to Prevent Foodborne Illness<\/a><\/li>\n
- Poultry Preparation – <\/a>USDA<\/li>\n
- Let’s Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey\u00a0<\/a>– USDA<\/li>\n
- Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners & Leftovers<\/a> – USDA<\/li>\n
- Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking\u00a0 <\/a>– USDA, (Spanish language Turkey Basics<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- CDC Foodborne Illness<\/a><\/li>\n
- CDC Food Safety<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkeys can contain harmful bacteria that can be spread by improper handling and are only destroyed by properly cooking the turkey to a safe internal minimum temperature.<\/p>\n
To avoid making people sick, follow proper food safety procedures for a food safe holiday season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1106],"tags":[82,1254,1253],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1768"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19078,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions\/19078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- USDA – Thanksgiving Toolkit to Prevent Foodborne Illness<\/a><\/li>\n
- Let\u2019s Talk Turkey Brochure<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n