Turkey Time

With the holiday season approaching, many people are getting ready to prepare feasts for family and friends. 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.
• 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 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).
• 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, stuff it loosely into the cavity and breast and make sure it is cooked to 82°C (180°F).
• 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 two to three 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 1L of water).
• Reheat leftovers to original cooking temperature. If you want hot turkey leftovers, reheat to 82°C (180°F).

Other food safety tips for the holidays

• Baked goods: Be sure that baked goods are well cooked and never eat raw cookie dough, batters or frostings containing raw egg. Raw eggs may contain salmonella, a bacterium that causes foodborne illness.
• Eggnog: When making homemade eggnog, heat the egg and milk mixture to a minimum of 71°C (160°F). After heating, pour the eggnog into smaller containers for accelerated cooling and refrigerate. Using pasteurized egg and milk products, or buying ready made eggnog (already pasteurized) ensures that harmful bacteria are removed.
• Cider: Choose pasteurized apple cider. If unsure if cider is pasteurized, boil the cider to minimize risk for food-borne illness.

It is also important to remember that individuals who are at higher risk for foodborne illness are seniors, children and those who are immunocompromised.

For additional food safety information, please call Region of Waterloo Public Health, Food Safety Program, 519-575-4400, ext. 5147, or visit our Food Safety and Inspection Results web pages.

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Media Contact: Kirsten Keil-Mehlenbacher, Coordinator, Health Communications, 519-575-4400, Ext 2244, KKeil-Mehlenbacher@regionofwaterloo.ca