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WASHINGTON– Turkey is
the most popular dish during Thanksgiving celebrations, yet there are
many inexperienced cooks who will be in the kitchen. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging consumers to practice
food safety throughout the entire Thanksgiving process, from the
grocery store to the dining table.
“On the most
popular food holiday of the year, we’re reminding consumers to follow
safe food handling practices starting at the grocery store and going
all the way through enjoying your leftovers,” said Under Secretary for
Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “Following these basic steps can help
keep your family and friends safe this holiday season.”
To keep your
Thanksgiving food safe, follow this guide:
Shopping
- Bacteria can
multiply to dangerous levels if perishables, like turkey, are left
in the Danger Zone (temperatures between 40 F
and 140 F) for too long. Pick up your turkey and other perishable
products at the end of your grocery shopping so they stay cold as
long as possible. Pack perishables in insulated bags with cold sources if the commute home is longer than an
hour and place them in the refrigerator as soon as you get home.
- Make sure the
packaging of your turkey is not torn or leaking. Juices from raw
poultry can cause cross-contamination of harmful bacteria that can
get you sick. Place turkey, and other raw meat products, in
plastic bags and in a separate part of your shopping cart to
prevent harmful bacteria from spreading.
Thawing
A frozen
turkey can be safely thawed in the refrigerator or in cold water:
- When thawing
in a refrigerator at 40 F or below, allow roughly 24 hours for
every 4 to 5 pounds. Consider putting the turkey in a container or
dish to contain juices that may leak.
- When thawing
in cold water, allow roughly 30 minutes per pound. Submerge the
wrapped turkey into the cold water and change the water every 30
minutes until the turkey is fully thawed. Once thawed, cook the
turkey immediately.
Preparing
When it is
time to prepare the turkey, keep in mind that turkeys may contain
bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Keep the turkey and its juices
separate from foods that won’t be cooked and fully clean and sanitize
surfaces that come into contact with the
turkey and its juices. A USDA study found that about 30% of consumers did not successfully clean
and sanitize kitchen surfaces around meal preparation.
Washing a
turkey is risky because it can spread bacteria to your sink and other
nearby surfaces. If you choose to wash it, make sure to fully clean surfaces with soap and water
afterwards and then sanitize using a sanitizing solution.
Cooking
There are
many ways to cook a turkey, but one thing remains consistent: the
turkey needs to reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 F, as
measured by a food thermometer, in three places — the thickest part of
the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of
the wing. Always use a thermometer to make sure the turkey is fully
cooked even if the turkey has a pop-up temperature indicator. If stuffing your turkey, the stuffing must also
reach 165 F in the center of the stuffing.
Serving
- When serving
food to groups, remember the two-hour rule. Perishable foods that
have sat out at room temperature for more than two hours are
unsafe, due to bacterial growth, and must be discarded. When you
are serving food, keep your hot food hot and cold food cold. This
will keep it from developing harmful bacteria. Hot foods such as
turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy
must be kept at or above 140 F and you can do so by serving them
in warming trays, chafing dishes, slow cookers, etc.
- Cold foods
such as salad, cranberry relish, deviled eggs and cold dips must
be kept below 40 F and you can do so by
serving them in trays or bowls nestled over ice. Remember to
replace the ice as it melts. You can also serve cold foods by
dividing them in small portions and
serving them a portion at a time, keeping the remainder in the
refrigerator.
Leftovers
Leftovers are
arguably one of the best parts of Thanksgiving. For leftovers to be
safe to keep, they must be refrigerated within two hours of serving or
have been kept hot at or above 140 F or cold below 40 F. Discard any
foods that sat out for more than two hours at room temperature because
bacteria that cause foodborne illness could have reached dangerous
levels. If you have turkey leftovers, carve the bird into smaller
pieces and place them into small, shallow containers so the meat can
cool evenly and quickly.
If you have
food safety questions while planning and preparing your Thanksgiving
feast, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline
(1-888-674-6854), email MPHotline@usda.gov or chat live at www.ask.usda.gov 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday to reach a food safety specialist in
English or Spanish. The Meat and Poultry Hotline is also open on
Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Access news
releases and other information at USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection
Service’s (FSIS) website at www.fsis.usda.gov/newsroom. Follow FSIS on X
at @usdafoodsafety or in Spanish at X @usdafoodsafety_es and USDA on Instagram
at @usdagov and Facebook.
USDA touches
the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the
Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system
with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food
production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe,
healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets
and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart
food and forestry practices, making historic investments in
infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and
committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic
barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To
learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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