NEWS

Thanksgiving food tips: How to not make your family sick

Liz Shepard
Times Herald
Don't want to cook a giant turkey for Thanksgiving. There are dining options available where you can have your feast without washing dishes..

The United States Department of Agriculture has five tips on how to avoid giving your family and guests food poisoning this Thanksgiving.

“Unsafe handling and undercooking of food can lead to serious foodborne illness,” said Al Almanza, USAD deputy under secretary for food safety in a statement. “Turkeys may contain Salmonella and Campylobacter, harmful pathogens that are only destroyed by properly preparing and cooking the turkey. 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. We want to be sure that all consumers know the steps they can take and resources that are available to them to help prepare a safe and enjoyable holiday meal.”

  • Tip 1: Don't wash your bird. 

While about 68 percent of the public washes the whole turkey before cooking it, the USDA says not to. Washing raw meat and poultry can cause bacteria to spread up to three feet away. Cooking it to the correct temperature kills any bacteria that may be present.

  • Tip 2: Thaw it in the refrigerator, cold water method or microwave 

Thawing food in the refrigerator is the safest method, but will take 24 hours for every 5 pounds of bird.

  • Tip 3: Check your turkey's temperature

Use a meat thermometer to check the bird's temperature. A while turkey should be checked in three locations: the innermost part of the thigh, innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast. All three locations should register 165 degrees. Side note from the USDA, juices rarely run clear at this temperature, and when they do your turkey is likely overcooked.

  • Tip 4: Don't leave your food outside

Even if it is cold out, don't store foot outdoors. For one, there are animals that can eat it or contaminate it, and two, sun can change the temperature of inside your storage containers.

  • Tip 5: Leftovers don't last forever

You've got four days to eat leftovers stored in the fridge before it goes bad, according to the USDA. If you know you won't be eating it quickly, pack it into freezer bags and freeze. Frozen turkey should be used within four months — it will still be safe to eat after that, but may be dry and flavorless.

If you have questions about your Thanksgiving dinner, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) to talk to a food safety expert. Last November the hotline answered more than 3,000 calls about Thanksgiving dinner. You can also chat live with a food safety expert at AskKaren.gov, available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, in English and Spanish.

If you need help on Thanksgiving Day, the Meat and Poultry Hotline is available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.