When it comes to reducing the chance of foodborne illness, experts generally center advice around four concepts: clean, separate, cook and chill.
“Make sure you’re starting with clean hands,” said Melissa Wright, food safety extension specialist at Virginia Tech. “Use warm water and soap, and wash your hands for 20 seconds. You also want to have clean utensils and a clean kitchen.”
The next piece of advice: separate.
“We want to make sure that you keep things separate, things that are raw,” Wright said. “We don’t want to have any cross contamination that could possibly occur.”
Wright also recommended using separate cutting boards for each type of meat you are preparing.
Then, the cooking itself.
“The biggest thing people really forget about is to cook things thoroughly and to use a food thermometer,” Wright said.
She said the thermometer should be placed into the thickest part of the meat. For a turkey, that’s generally where the leg meets the body. Wright recommended attaining an internal temperature of 165 degrees for turkey, 145 degrees for ham and beef.
And the last piece of advice, chill, and that doesn’t mean relax and put your feet up while your cooked food sits out.
“We want to make sure that leftovers are dealt with before you fall asleep on the couch, before everyone starts to move around to watch football,” Wright said.
Leftovers should be put into the fridge within a couple hours of cooking.
Wright also recommended not washing the turkey. She said all that does is potentially spread bacteria in your kitchen. If you cook the bird properly, it will kill all the harmful bacteria that might be present.
Wright said it’s also important to thaw the turkey properly. That means being prepared well in advance of Thanksgiving.
“You want to make sure you’re thawing the turkey in the refrigerator. … You have to allow one day for every four pounds of bird,” she said. “So if you have a 20-pound bird, you should look to start thawing it on Saturday or Sunday of this weekend.”
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