I'm amazed that Thanksgiving is just a few days away! It was just barely Halloween, right?
Anyway, as we all get excited about the Turkey, potatoes, stuffing and pie. Here's a friendly little food-safety refresher.
Keep food out of the danger zone.
Food should not remain between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit for more
than 2 hours. Use a food thermometer to keep track of how warm or cold
food is.
Store leftovers promptly and properly.
This is sort-of part of rule #1, but deserves a separate section. If you
live in a cold climate (outside temperature must be below 40 degrees F)
It can be helpful to put containers of leftovers outside for an hour or
two until they have cooled down, then put them in the fridge. Just
don't forget to move them into the fridge! :) In order to help food cool
down fast enough, cut left overs into smaller pieces and store in
shallow containers.
Thaw the Turkey correctly. The USDA has some great information on this. Here are their instructions:
In the refrigerator
Place
frozen bird in original wrapper in the refrigerator (40 °F or below).
Allow approximately 24 hours per 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. A thawed
turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
In cold water
If
you forget to thaw the turkey or don’t have room in the refrigerator
for thawing, don’t panic. You can submerge the turkey in cold water and
change the water every 30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes defrosting
time per pound of turkey. The following times are suggested for thawing
turkey in water. Cook immediately after thawing.
For more information (including a chart for thawing time) visit this page from the USDA.
Let's all have a happy and healthy holiday with no food poisoning! Happy Thanksgiving!
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