Later this week the United States celebrates Thanksgiving; this is the first of two holiday days that are traditionally celebrated with a large meal with turkey as the main dish. Each year millions of cases of food-related illnesses are reported. Many of these illnesses could be prevented by following proper food handling and preparation techniques. These are the ways you can keep your family safe well preparing your turkey.
Get your turkey into the freezer immediately after it is purchased & keep your turkey frozen until you are ready to defrost it. Frozen turkey can kept frozen in its original packaging for up to one year.
Do not thaw your turkey at room temperature. Thaw turkey in the refrigerator in a container that will ketch any of the drippings as it defrosts. Keep the turkey on the bottom shelf of the fridge to keep it from dripping on other foods. The drippings from raw meat contain bacteria that will contaminate other food.
If you wish you can defrost your turkey in cold water. Keep it in original wrapping and change the water every half hour to keep water cold.
Defrost times
In the fridge: 10 hours per kilogram/5 hours per pound.
In a sink covered with cold water: 2 hours per kilogram/1 hour per pound.
If you are using an unstuffed turkey, make sure your turkey is completely defrosted before cooking. The bird will then cook evenly and harmful bacteria will be destroyed. For prestuffed turkey, cook directly from frozen.
Clean and disinfect all surfaces and kitchen utensils touched by raw turkey or drippings from thawing turkey.
Important cooking tips:
Your goal when cooking turkey is to make sure that the bird reaches a high enough cooking temperature to kill harmful bacteria. The slower and lower you cook the turkey, the more opportunity for harmful bacteria to grow.
Never cook a turkey at less than 325ºF (160ºC).
Use a meat thermometer, and cook turkey until the temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh is at least 185° F (85° C). Avoid actually touching the bone; the bone is hotter than the meat.
Cook stuffing separately in its own oven dish or on the stove top. If you do stuff your turkey, stuff loosely just prior to roasting. Cook stuffing to a minimum internal temperature of 165° F (74° C). Tightly packed stuffing will not heat evenly and some areas of the stuffing may not reach this temperature.
When dealing with leftovers
Remove all the stuffing from the turkey and refrigerate it within two hours of cooking.
Only reheat what you are going to eat at that time. Reheating & cooling of the will cause bacteria to grow.
Turkey poses particular food safety challenges because it can be contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps.
Never attempt to freeze a whole fresh turkey. Home freezers are not powerful enough to do this job.
*A turkey that is labelled “previously frozen” should never be refrozen, unless it’s already been cooked.
If you or your family show any of the signs of food poison seek medical aid.
Have a safe & happy holidays
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