The USDA has some very clear and helpful tips about how to prepare, store, cook your raw turkey and cooked leftovers safely. As the Thanksgiving cook, you can follow these easy steps for a safer Turkey Day for all your guests.
Wise Owl Safety Takeaways:
- Stop washing that turkey! Apparently 68% of cooks are still doing this. Washing only help spread the bacteria up to 3 feet around you sink. Gross!
- Don’t thaw you turkey at room temp! The safest way to defrost a turkey is in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. The cold water technique is certainly the most consuming and requires changing out your bowl of water every 30 minutes.
- Wiggling the leg won’t help you! If you want to know if your bird is safety cooked, use a meat thermometer. Check that the inner thigh, inner wing and thickest part of the breast have reached 165 degrees.
- Leftovers are good for 4 days! Enjoy your yummy leftovers for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. If you would like to enjoy them longer, freeze them for up to 4 month. All leftovers should be in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours after cooking it.
“Nearly 70 percent of people think that washing poultry with water before cooking is a good thing, but they’re wrong, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).”
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/life/dont-wash-that-thanksgiving-turkey-plus-4-more-food-safety-tips/
