Serve a Bacteria Free Bird this Thanksgiving!
Whether it is your first time making Thanksgiving Diner, or you have been hosting for years, be sure to follow these tips to safely cook your turkey and prevent food borne illness.
“Turkey is a high-risk food which often comes into the home carrying food borne pathogens such as salmonella, that can cause you and your guests to become ill” – Peter DeLucia, MPA, RR Consultant & Public Health Expert
“It’s important to have a 0 to 220 degree probe thermometer at home so that you can accurately measure the temperature of your food,” said Peter DeLuca. “Properly cooking and cooling your turkey are the most important things that you can do to ensure a safe meal, so having a good probe thermometer is necessary. And if you use a turkey fryer, be sure to run it outside away from your house.”
Peter & Mario recommend you follow these turkey safe tips for a successful dinner:
Wash your hands frequently. Having clean hands is the number one most important thing when it comes to food safety. Thoroughly wash with hot, soapy water, before, during, and after food handling. If your hands touch contaminated tomatoes, they can contaminate the next surface, or food you touch.
Thaw – Allow two to three days to thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator. Never defrost a turkey by leaving it out at room temperature. If you defrost your turkey in the microwave, cook it immediately after thawing.
Prepare – Bacteria on raw poultry can contaminate your hands, utensils, and work surfaces as you prepare the turkey. After working with raw poultry, always wash your hands, and sanitize utensils and work surfaces before they touch other foods to avoid transmitting bacteria to other food.
Keep your counters, cutting boards, and utensils sanitized. It’s important to start with clean surfaces and utensils and to clean them after each use. Don’t wipe counters with an old sponge or cloth, this just spreads germs around. Make sure to clean with warm soapy water and use commercially available sanitizing wipes that are approved for use on kitchen counters. When cleaning surfaces like cutting boards, use sanitizing wipes that are approved for use on food contact surfaces. It is also important to frequently clean and sanitize your sink basin to avoid cross contamination. The kitchen sink is often overlooked but can be a potential cause for cross contamination and food borne illness in your home.
Stuff – undercooked stuffing can cause a food borne illness, bake stuffing separately in a shallow pan, where it can quickly reach 165°F. Many food borne outbreaks have been caused by stuffed, roasted turkey. That’s because it takes a long time for heat to penetrate deep into the cavity so bacteria can survive inside the bird.
Cook – Turkeys should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. The time required to reach this temperature will vary significantly depending on factors such as oven temperature, temperature fluctuation and turkey weight. A turkey can look done and be palatable even when cooked to lower internal temperatures. Take the turkey’s temperature to be safe: insert a probe thermometer deep into the meat. Dinner is ready when it reaches 165°F.
Cool – Improper cooling practices are the most frequent cause of food borne outbreaks. Debone the leftover turkey within two hours and refrigerate it in shallow pans or trays with the turkey slices layered no higher than two inches. Stocks should also be cooled uncovered in shallow pans and then transferred to large covered vessels after reaching refrigerator temperature.
Reheat – Turkey meat, stuffing and stock should be reheated to at least 165°F when serving leftovers. The stock can be brought to boiling to ensure adequate reheating; its culinary quality will not be affected.
The consultants at Rapid Response Environmental Health offer their assistance to various businesses, including restaurants, grocery stores, country clubs, children’s camps, bathing facilities, engineering firms, etc. to ensure regulatory compliance and a safe environment for both staff and customers. They are available to address any environmental or public health questions and provide the right answers. Check out their website for more information.
