By Lauren Incarnato, Student Nutritionist Thanksgiving is a great holiday to sit back, have a great meal, and remember what you are thankful for in your life. If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year-or have hosted in the past, it is important to keep food safety in mind when preparing such a large menu for your friends and family! Take a look at these tips to ensure that your Thanksgiving goes smoothly and safely this year. Do not wash poultry. The most recent Food Safety Survey from the USDA indicates that about 68% of Americans wash the entire turkey before cooking it, but the USDA does not recommend this. Washing poultry can lead to increased spread of bacteria of up to three feet. The USDA also states that cooking meat to the specified temperatures already kills any bacteria that is present, so washing meat is not a necessary part for food safety. Defrost that turkey the right way. The USDA also states there are three safe methods for defrosting a turkey. These include in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Out of these three methods, the refrigerator method has been deemed safest, because it defrosts at a safe, consistent temperature that is not within the danger zone. As a rule of thumb, it takes 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey to thaw in the fridge. So if you have a 15 pound turkey, it will take 72 hours, or three full days to defrost in the fridge. If you choose to defrost in cold water, the turkey should still be in it's original wrapper, and fully submerged, changing the water every 30 minutes. Microwaved defrosting depends highly on the power settings of your microwave. As a tip, if your turkey may not have fully defrosted in the fridge, the cold water method and the microwave method may be great supplemental options. As a reminder, it is unsafe to defrost a turkey at room temperature! Use a meat thermometer. The last thing you would want to serve your friends and family is an undercooked bird. The only way to fully determine if turkey (or really any other meat) is fully cooked is to check the internal temperature with a food thermometer! For a turkey, the places to check are the innermost part of the thigh, innermost part of the wing, and thickest part of the breast. The thermometer should register at least 165°F in each of these places. Don't store food outside. It may seem like a great idea to store foods outside in the garage or on the back deck to save fridge space for other items, especially if the temperature outside mimics that of your refrigerator. However, there are two major reasons storing foods outside is unsafe. First, wild animals exist, and they can detect food and get into it even if you may not notice. Second, the temperature varies throughout the day and night, and it is more likely for food to get into the danger zone in the fluctuating temperatures. To ensure that food is staying out of the danger zone (above 40°F), store foods that do not fit in the fridge or freezer in an extra cooler with ice! Leftovers for days! You may always feel like you aren't making enough food for your guests for Thanksgiving, but somehow there are always leftovers. Make sure you are keeping track of the leftovers and when you are putting them in the fridge. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for four days. If you think that you may not be eating your leftovers around that time, freeze them! Frozen foods can keep for anywhere between 3-6 months. As another tip, a frozen turkey can keep well for 4 months, and is a great addition to soups! The turkey is still safe to eat after 4 months, but might lose a lot of it's original flavor. Though it seems like a big task, cooking for Thanksgiving does not have to be difficult or stressful! By following these food safety rules, you are doing everything you can to ensure your guests a safe Thanksgiving meal to eat.
Information taken from the USDA: https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2016/11/21/usdas-five-tips-food-safe-thanksgiving
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