Food safety essentials for Thanksgiving meals, leftovers

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Observing several standard guidelines can help ensure that Thanksgiving feasts this year are cooked safely for safe consumption and that the meal and leftovers are tasty.

Barbara Brown, an 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, recommends the following food preparation and handling tips.

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 the stuffing outside the bird as a casserole. If the turkey is to be stuffed, prepare the 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 the temperature in the innermost parts of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast with a food thermometer.
It is safe to roast a frozen turkey. Cooking time will be at least 50% longer than recommended for a fully thawed bird. 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 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 the water amount to determine the oil needed.
Select a location outdoors, on a flat concrete or stone surface with no overhead roof. Heat the cooking oil to 350 degrees and slowly lower the turkey into it. Never leave hot oil unattended, and check the oil temperature frequently during cooking with a thermometer.
Allow 3 to 5 minutes per pound of cooking time. Remove the turkey, draining the oil from the cavity. Check the temperature with a food thermometer to ensure the bird is safely cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees. If not done, immediately return the bird to the hot oil.
When done, the skin should be golden to dark brown to almost black. Remove the turkey from the oil and place it 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 them 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 stay longer than frozen turkey.
Leftover turkey may be eaten cold or reheated. When reheating in the oven, set the temperature to no lower than 325 degrees and cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. To keep it moist, add broth or water and cover.
In the microwave, cover and rotate for even heating to 165 degrees. Allow standing time.