Food safety essentials for Thanksgiving meals, leftovers

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Observing a number of standard guidelines can help ensure that Thanksgiving feasts this year are cooked safely and for safe consumption and both the meal and leftovers are tasty.
The following food preparation and handling tips are recommended by Barbara Brown, assistant professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at Oklahoma State University and a food specialist with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Roasting the bird
•    Set oven temperature no lower than 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
•    Do not use brown paper bags for cooking. Instead, use commercial oven cooking bags.  
•    For optimum safety, cook stuffing outside the bird as a casserole. If the turkey is to be stuffed, prepare ingredients ahead of time, keeping wet and dry ingredients separate, and wet ingredients chilled. Mix just before cooking, fill the cavity loosely and cook immediately.
•    A whole turkey and stuffing are safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees as measured with a food thermometer. Even if the turkey has a “pop-up” thermometer, check temperature in innermost parts of the thigh and wing and thickest part of the breast with a food thermometer.
•    It is safe to roast a frozen turkey. Cooking time will require at least 50 percent longer than recommended for a fully thawed bird, and remember to remove the giblet packages during cooking with tongs or a fork. Do not cook a frozen turkey in an oven cooking bag, microwave oven or by deep fat frying.  

Deep fat frying a turkey
•    The National Fire Protection Association urges consumers NOT to use turkey fryers, and no turkey fryers are certified by the independent product safety-testing organization Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
•    If a turkey is to be deep fat fried, the bird must be completely thawed and not stuffed. Birds should be 12 pounds or less.
•    Select a cooking vessel large enough to completely submerge the turkey 1 to 2 inches in oil without spilling over. Do a preliminary test using water. Place the turkey in the vessel and add water to cover. Remove the bird and measure water amount to determine amount of oil needed.
•    Select a location that is outdoors, on a flat concrete or stone surface with no roof overhead. Heat cooking oil to 350 degrees and slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil. Never leave hot oil unattended and check oil temperature frequently during cooking with a thermometer.
•    Allow 3 to 5 minutes per pound cooking time. Remove turkey, draining oil from the cavity. Check temperature with a food thermometer to ensure bird is safely cooked to minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees. If not done, immediately return to the hot oil.
•    When done skin should be golden to dark brown to almost black. Remove turkey from oil and place on a sturdy tray lined with paper towels. Allow about 20 minutes before carving.
•    Allow oil to cool before pouring into containers for refrigerator storage. Oil can be reused if strained, covered and used within one month.


Handling leftovers
•    Discard any turkey, stuffing and gravy left out at room temperature longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in room temperatures above 90 degrees.
•    For quicker cooling, divide leftovers into smaller portions and place in covered, shallow containers before refrigerating or freezing.
•    Use refrigerated turkey and stuffing within 3 to 4 days. Use gravy within 1 to 2 days.
•    If freezing leftovers, use within 2 to 6 months for best quality. Leftover turkey covered with broth or gravy will keep longer than turkey frozen alone.
•    Leftover turkey may be eaten cold or reheated. When reheating in the oven, set the temperature no lower than 325 degrees and cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. To keep moist, add broth or water and cover.
•    In the microwave, cover and rotate for even heating to 165 degrees. Allow standing time.