As people head to the grocery stores to get their last-minute items for thanksgiving or are already preparing some of their dishes, health experts like Tompkins County Health Department Medical Director Dr. William Klepack said you better prepare everything carefully, especially your poultry.
Along with sanitizing your kitchen area and tools, Dr. Klepack also said to pay attention to the temperature of food.
“Keep them cold if they are bought cold until you are going to use them and that means keep them below 40 degrees. Foods you buy at a grocery store or food outlet hot, need to be kept hot before you consume them, above 140 degrees because in between 40 and 140 degrees, germs can grow,” Dr. Klepack said.
When it comes to turkey, and other meats, be sure to give yourself time to defrost it. It takes four days to thaw a turkey – and the safest place to do that is in a fridge.
However, for those last-minute cooks, Dr. Klepack says there is another way.
“There is a way of thawing it out in cold water and even that will take about 30 minutes per pound to defrost a turkey,” said Dr. Klepack.
In addition to food safety, keeping fire safety top of mind in the kitchen during this joyous but hectic time is also important.
Click HERE for Thanksgiving fire safety information.
