It’s Turkey Time! (2)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for many people that means cooking a turkey. Here are some tips to ensure a safe holiday meal:

Turkey tips

• Wash hands before and after handling food to prevent the spread of food-borne illness.
• Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator. Allow five hours per pound for thawing at 4°C (40°F). If thawing in cold water, leave the turkey in the original package and submerge it in cold tap water, allow 30 minutes per pound. Remember to change the water every 30 minutes.
• Cook turkey to 82°C (180°F). Use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey (i.e. thigh).
• Separate cooked foods from raw foods. Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked food. Sauces that are used to marinate raw poultry should not be used on cooked foods.
• Cook stuffing separately in the oven to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). If you choose to cook the stuffing in the turkey, prepare the stuffing immediately before it is placed inside the turkey; stuff it loosely into the cavity and breast.
• Refrigerate leftovers. Turkey should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours, so refrigerate or freeze leftovers in shallow containers as soon as possible and use them within 2-3 days.
• Clean up carefully. Avoid cross contamination by washing and sanitizing anything the raw turkey or its juices have touched. Use bleach and water solution for sanitizing (1 tsp. of bleach per 1 litre of water).
• Reheat leftovers to original cooking temperature. If you want hot turkey leftovers, reheat to 82°C (180°F).

For additional food safety information, please call Region of Waterloo Public Health, Food Safety Program, 519-575-4400 or visit our food safety web pages.

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Media contact: Candace Harringto, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, 519-883-2244, caharrington@regionofwaterloo.ca