Great family feasts mark many wonderful occasions whether a holiday, a birthday or celebrating life’s achievements. Turkey is often the centerpiece of such a feast. Each Thanksgiving, more than 45 million turkeys are prepared and consumed in the US. The USDA recommends a few “turkey basics” to keep your family safe from foodborne illnesses.
If you buy a fresh turkey, cook it within two days. If you prefer the frozen turkey, you can defrost the turkey in the refrigerator. Expect it to take about 24 hours for every five pounds of the bird. Another safe alternative to defrosting frozen turkey is by using cold water, but change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Never thaw the turkey on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Once thawed, cook the bird immediately. Make sure to clean and sanitize the areas where raw turkey juice may have been.
What about the stuffing? Currently experts recommend that the safest way to cook stuffing is separate from the turkey. The stuffing must be cooked up to 165ºF. And, if you have any leftover turkey, cut it into small pieces, cool it and store it in the refrigerator within 2 hours. Use the left over turkey and stuffing within 3-4 days.
While you want your family feasts to be memorable, using precautions to keep your family safe from foodborne illness will help make sure they’re feasts to remember for the right reasons!
Podcast: Preparing a safe turkey feast
Written by: Amy Simonne
Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at familyalbumradio.org.
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Labels: cooking, food safety, turkey
