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The New York State health and agriculture departments offered up several tips to help keep family and friends safe from foodborne illness this holiday season.
“The Department works hard all year long to ensure the safety of our food supply at our stores and food manufacturing facilities, but food safety is also so important at home,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball.
“We urge everyone who is cooking for their loved ones this Thanksgiving to prepare, handle, and store foods with care to help reduce foodborne illness and ensure a wonderful holiday!”
Home chefs are encouraged to remember the following tips:
Defrost properly
Use the refrigerator, the cold-water method, or the microwave to defrost a frozen turkey.
Thawing food in the refrigerator is the safest method because the turkey will defrost at a consistent, safe temperature.
It will take 24 hours for every five pounds of weight for a turkey to thaw in the refrigerator.
To thaw in cold water, submerge the bird in its original wrapper in cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Don’t wash the turkey
Washing the turkey can cause bacteria to spread up to three feet away, as the water is likely to splash onto clean counters, cutting boards, sink handles, etc.
Cook thoroughly
Cook the turkey to an inner temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit by either baking, broiling, boiling, frying or grilling.
Check its internal temperature with a food thermometer.
A whole turkey should be checked in three locations: the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, and the thickest part of the breast.
Don't store food outside
Storing food outside is not food safe. Animals, both wild and domesticated, can get into food stored outside, consuming it or contaminating it.
Additionally, just like a car gets warm in the summer, a plastic food storage container in the sun can heat up and climb into the “danger zone” (above 40°F), allowing bacteria to grow.
Refrigerate turkey leftovers for no more than four days
Cut the turkey off the bone and refrigerate it as soon as possible, within two hours of the turkey coming out of the oven.
If the leftovers won’t be used right away, they should be packed into freezer bags or airtight containers and frozen.
For best quality, use leftover turkey within four months. After that, the leftovers will still be safe, but can dry out or lose flavor.
You can find more food safety tips on the Department of Agriculture and Markets website.
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