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CSPI's Holiday Safe Food Tips
Holiday
Safe Food
Tips
Part of the excitement of the holidays are
the traditional foods of the season. However, some of these
foods can pose hazards that can ruin more than just a
holiday meal -- they can cause serious illness and even
death. Here are some tips on how to enjoy these foods
safely:
Turkey
Treat your turkey with respect. Preparing a turkey takes
a little planning, especially during the hectic holiday
season. Before buying your turkey, make room in your
refrigerator and find a plate or platter big enough to put
the uncooked turkey on so any leaking juices won't
contaminate other foods in the refrigerator. At the store,
buy the turkey last, put it in a separate plastic bag to
avoid contaminating other foods, and refrigerate it
immediately when you get home. If you are combining food
shopping with other holiday shopping, make the grocery store
the last stop so food will not be left in the car while you
are searching for the perfect gifts.
Warm up to your turkey gradually. If buying a frozen
turkey, the safest way to defrost it is in the refrigerator,
but keep in mind you need to allow 24 hours of defrosting
for every 5 pounds of turkey. For Thanksgiving, that means a
20 pound frozen turkey needs to start defrosting on Sunday.
Don't defrost the turkey on the counter. A microwave is too
small for most turkeys, but if using one, cook the turkey as
soon as it is defrosted. Turkeys wrapped in leak-proof
plastic can be defrosted in cold water, but the water should
be changed every 30 minutes and allow 30 minutes of
defrosting per pound of turkey. Buy your fresh turkey only
one to two days before you plan to cook it.
Clear the decks. Before preparing the turkey, clear and
thoroughly clean the counter, as well as the cooking
equipment which you may not have used since preparing last
year's turkey. Clean immediately with hot soapy water
anything, including sponges and hands, that touches the raw
turkey or juice. Sanitize sponges by running them through
your dishwasher.
Just cook it. When cooking a turkey, use a meat
thermometer. Even if you use a "pop-up" thermometer, it's a
good idea to check the temperature with a conventional meat
thermometer. If you don't have one, pick one up at the
grocery store as you're searching for the holiday items. Set
the oven no lower than 325 F and cook the turkey to 180 F in
the inner thigh. The juices should run clear. Here are
approximate cooking times for turkey, but use a meat
thermometer to verify doneness:
| Weight (pounds) |
Unstuffed Cooking Time (hours)
|
Stuffed Cooking Time (hours)
|
| 8 to 12 |
2 3/4 to 3 |
3 to 3 1/2 |
| 12 to 14 |
3 to 3 3/4 |
3 1/2 to 4 |
| 14 to 18 |
3 3/4 to 4 1/4 |
4 to 4 1/4 |
| 18 to 20 |
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 |
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 |
| 20 to 24 |
4 1/2 to 5 |
4 3/4 to 5 1/4 |
|
Source: USDA
Turkeys on the run. More and more busy Americans are
opting to buy hot pre-cooked turkeys for their holiday meal.
If you choose this option, be sure to keep the turkey at 140
F or above if you will be eating it within two hours of
picking it up. If you will be eating the turkey more than
two hours later or if you buy a cold pre-cooked turkey, you
should dismantle your feast and refrigerate it. Remove the
stuffing from the bird and cut the turkey off the bone.
Wings and legs can be left whole. Refrigerate all the food,
including any side dishes, in separate shallow containers.
Reheat food to 165 F and boil gravy.
The grand finale. Your efforts have paid off. The turkey
is beautiful and your guests are duly impressed. To keep the
food safe while it being served, leave it out for no longer
than two hours. If you're having a buffet, don't serve all
the food at once. Keep the second and third servings either
hot at or above 140 F in the oven or cold in the
refrigerator. To prevent contamination, put additional food
out on clean platters instead of adding it to the platters
already on the table.
Stuffing
To stuff or not to stuff. For many people stuffing is
the best part of the turkey, but it must be carefully
prepared because it is warm and moist -- a perfect
environment for bacteria to grow in. Stuffing can be
contaminated by bacteria from eggs and shellfish in the
stuffing or the turkey itself. The safest way to cook
stuffing is on the stove or in the oven, but separate from
the turkey. If cooking the stuffing inside the bird, loosely
stuff the turkey just before you stick it in the oven with
cup stuffing per pound of turkey. Use a meat thermometer to
make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165 F. A
"pop-up" thermometer that comes with a turkey won't tell you
the temperature of the stuffing. Avoid pre-stuffed fresh
turkeys.
Cider
Serve it mulled. Unpasteurized apple cider is another
holiday food that may contain harmful bacteria. If serving
cider to elderly or young family members and friends or
those with weakened immune systems, buy pasteurized apple
cider. If you want to buy unpasteurized cider or are unsure
if the cider is pasteurized, mull the cider by heating it to
160 F or boiling it if you don't have a thermometer. Serve
it warm or cold.
Eggnog
Pasteurize or die. (Just kidding, we hope.) If homemade,
this creamy treat could be contaminated with bacteria
sometimes found in raw eggs. To be sure the eggnog is safe,
use pasteurized egg products or buy ready-made eggnog, which
is pasteurized. If you want to make eggnog with whole eggs
safely, gradually heat the egg-milk mixture to 160 F or
until it coats a metal spoon.
Cookies
Need some dough? Though it's almost too tempting for
children and many adults, homemade cookie dough can no
longer be sampled safely. Just like in eggnog, raw whole
eggs in cookie dough may contain harmful bacteria. If you
just can't make cookies without sneaking some dough, used
pasteurized egg products in place of whole eggs.
Leftovers
The aftermath. Holiday meals usually mean lots of
leftovers. Although you may not feel like doing much after a
big meal, be sure to refrigerate or freeze leftovers within
two hours of cooking the food. Separate leftovers into
shallow containers. Turkey should be removed from the bone
and stored separately from the stuffing and gravy. Use
leftovers within 4 days, except stuffing and gravy which
should be used within 2 days. If that seems like an
impossible feat, freeze the leftovers.Revisiting the
holidays. To serve the feast again, reheat leftovers to 165
F and boil soups, sauces, and gravies.
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