Unwanted Holiday Guests - Avoiding Food Poisoning
There are many hazards to watch for during the holidays, and while most of us think about drunk drivers and crushing crowds at the big box store, food safety can affect all of us. If we are the ones preparing the food, we are the ones under pressure to get everything done at the time promised and take short-cuts, or we may want to relax after dinner and put the food away “later.”
While this may be the fast-track to losing weight post-Thanksgiving, some people may have other plans for their holiday weekend instead of recovering from the food poisoning they got from the holiday meal.
One of my favorite cooking tools is my instant-read thermometer. I don’t go by color or pressure to check on the doneness of meat but by temperature. This tool is used year-round and but also to ensure a good meal without undercooked or overcooked meats.
However, before even starting the oven, ensure you defrost the turkey. The guideline for defrosting in the fridge is to allow one day per four pounds. If you need to do this quicker, there is a cold water method of 30 minutes per pound and changing the water every 30 minutes. Do not leave the turkey on the counter to defrost it. Don’t leave it in the garage (in some places, this could be okay, but not recommended) or inside the dryer for a quicker defrost (still not recommended, since you may have to explain this to the repair person unless you used the drying rack). You can call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line® at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (or text 844-877-3456) for help with this issue.
COOKING THE TURKEY and STUFFING TIPS:
Cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F. While your turkey may have come with one of that cute red pop-up, it is better to use a food thermometer to check the turkey’s internal temperature.
Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. If you have stuffed your turkey, the center of the stuffing must also reach 165°F. (If your bird has reached the 165°F, you can remove the stuffing and cook/bake it separately until it is 165°F on its own so your bird doesn’t get over-cooked and dry.)
Some meat, even in poultry, may still be pink, but it is safe to eat as soon as all parts reach at least 165°F.
LINGERING LEFTOVERS:
While we like to linger at the table, relax in the living room, or even go outside and play, putting off doing the dishes is okay, but putting off clearing the food away is not a good idea.
We need to refrigerate promptly! There are three numbers we need to remember:
Two hours: Refrigerate cooked foods, including the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and everything else, within 2 hours after cooking. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the table and discard anything there two hours or more. To help extend this 2 hour serving time, put things out at the last minute, and only put out as much as necessary.
3-4 days: Place leftovers in shallow containers and use within 3–4 days. Come Monday night, if you still have any Thanksgiving leftovers, guess what’s for dinner? After dinner that night, toss it.
165°F: Reheat all of your leftovers to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. While 140°F may be something you hear for food safety, that is for the first go-round. For reheating leftovers, it’s higher.
One of the other great tools you can use is the freezer. If you realize that there is just too much food to plow through between now and Monday – then pull out the zip-top bags, the marker and freeze your leftovers for your turkey, potatoes, and other holiday faves for next week or next month.
Happy Thanksgiving, and hoping it is bacteria-free!
