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Tips for a safe Thanksgiving:
- Never defrost a turkey at room temperature, but keep it in the refrigerator several days before roasting. Salmonella bacteria multiply rapidly in warmer environments. Allow 24 hours of defrosting time for each 5 pounds of turkey.
- Turkey can be defrosted in cold water, but it should be wrapped in leakproof plastic and the water changed every 30 minutes. Fresh turkeys should be purchased one or two days before cooking.
- To avoid contamination, don't let raw turkey touch other foods, and thoroughly wash everything it comes in contact with, including hands.
- Stuffing, or dressing -- another holiday staple -- can become contaminated if it is prepared inside the bird and insufficiently heated. To avoid that, cook the stuffing on the stove and place it inside the turkey once the bird is done.
- Use a meat thermometer and cook the turkey until it reaches 170 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thigh to ensure all bacteria are killed. "Insert it into the thickest part of the thigh," Maggipinto advises. "But you don't want it to touch the bone."
- Leftover turkey should be refrigerated or frozen within two hours and consumed within four days.
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