Whether hosting a traditional celebration or an intimate two-person feast, food safety should be at the forefront of your mind. But even the most experienced Thanksgiving dinner hosts should refresh themselves on the mistakes that could put their guests at risk.
The secret to healthy hosting is easy: Come prepared. We spoke with experts about the dos and don’ts of Thanksgiving food safety. Follow this guide on Turkey Day, and in the days before and after the holiday, to stay happy and healthy.
- Tamika Sims, Ph.D. is the senior director of food technology communications at the International Food Information Council
- Veronika Pfaeffle is the FDA public affairs specialist.
Do Defrost the Turkey Safely
One of the most dangerous mistakes you can make is using the wrong method to defrost your main dish. If turkey, chicken, duck, roast beef, ham, or lamb are front and center on the holiday dinner table, you may have purchased your meat well in advance—and freeze it. Using the proper defrosting technique is essential. The key is planning.
“The USDA’s FSIS advises that the proper way to thaw a turkey or any other type of meat is to not leave it out at room temperature or anywhere it might fluctuate in temperature,” said Sims. “There are three ways to defrost a turkey properly: in a refrigerator, in cold water, or in a microwave.”
Also, when storing the turkey (or other meat or poultry) ahead of time, make sure it’s wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
Do Keep Everything Clean
If there’s one thing you keep in mind as you host Thanksgiving, it’s to keep everything—including your hands, utensils, and prep area—as clean as possible. This will help ensure that your food stays safe and doesn’t get contaminated.
“Keep bacteria out of your kitchen by washing your hands before, during, and after you handle raw food,” the USDA states. “Make sure food preparation surfaces and utensils are clean.”
Clean hands, surfaces, and utensils with soap and warm water before cooking. Wash hands for 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. After cleaning surfaces raw poultry has touched, apply a sanitizer.
Do Use a Meat Thermometer
Eating raw or undercooked poultry (and meat) can lead to foodborne illness—which can be serious. “Symptoms of related foodborne illnesses can vary from person to person,” said Sims. “But they’re usually associated with nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting (plus dehydration in many cases). Long-term illnesses can occur from bacterial infections, too.”
“After your turkey is ready to be baked or fried, you should plan to cook it to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (as measured with a food thermometer) to destroy any bacteria, which reduces the risk of foodborne illness,” said Pfaeffle.
She says to check that poultry has reached 165°F in three parts: the breast’s thickest part, the wing’s innermost part, and the thigh’s innermost part. “Even if the turkey has a pop-up temperature indicator, you should still use a food thermometer to check that the bird has reached at least 165°F in those three places,” she said. And if you’re cooking a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey, check for 165°F at the thickest part of the breast.
Don’t Wash Your Turkey
In one study, the USDA found that 60 percent of kitchen sinks were contaminated with germs after participants washed or rinsed poultry. “To avoid this cross-contamination risk, do not wash your turkey,” said Pfaeffle. “But if you do, fully clean and sanitize your sink.”
Do Separate Your Ingredients
Yes, the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole will all end up in your stomach by the end of the night, but as you’re preparing each dish, it’s crucial that the ingredients remain separate.
This step is especially important with regard to raw meat and poultry because raw meat can contaminate produce (and other items) with harmful bacteria. In other words, if you’re using a cutting board to cut raw turkey or other meat, make sure you use a different cutting board to prep your green beans and potatoes.
Use separate cutting boards, plates, and utensils to avoid cross-contamination between raw meat or poultry and foods that are ready to eat.
Don’t Eat Raw Dough or Anything With Raw Eggs or Flour
“While we often recommend using clean utensils, cooking foods to their proper temperatures, and storing foods properly to help to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, there’s an additional very important food safety fact to cling to,” says Sims. “Do not consume raw foods that are designed to be cooked before eating them. This includes raw cookie dough (and other raw dough), flour, and raw eggs.”
Flour is an agricultural product designed to be cooked before it’s eaten. “This means that some bacterial contaminants from the grains used to produce the flour can still remain in the product before it is cooked, namely Escherichia coli (E. coli),” she says. Consuming harmful strains of E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses as well.
Eating raw eggs, which can harbor Salmonella bacteria, might cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal pain.
Don’t Leave Perishable Foods Out for Longer Than 2 Hours
“Once the food is set out and ready for consumption, use covered chafing dishes or warming trays to keep hot foods hot and ice or another cold source to keep cold foods cold,” Sims said.
Otherwise, food can enter what the USDA calls the danger zone, between 40° F and 140° F, where bacteria quickly multiply. Never leave perishable foods in the danger zone for more than two hours, or one hour if it’s above 90°F. After time’s up, refrigerate or freeze the food that’s been sitting out.
To avoid unnecessarily tossing any potential Turkey Day leftovers, the USDA recommends you only “put out just enough food for your guests and place the rest in your fridge in shallow containers.”
Don’t Overfill Your Refrigerator
While you should expect a lot of tasty leftovers, make sure not to overfill your refrigerator. Doing so can cause your refrigerator to swoop above 40°F, as it is overworking to keep all the food cool. The correct refrigerator and freezer temperatures are 40°F or below and 0°F or below.
To avoid bacteria growth, check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. Also, consider cleaning out your refrigerator as much as possible before the big feast so you have plenty of room to store any remaining food.
Do Reheat Leftovers and Takeout Properly
While Thanksgiving dinner is the main event, the days (and leftovers) that follow are equally important when it comes to food safety. And that’s still valid even if you order food to-go instead of cooking from scratch.
“Store leftovers in small, shallow containers in the refrigerator only until the Monday after Thanksgiving Day, or in the freezer for later use,” said Pfaeffle. (Shallow containers help cool leftovers more quickly than large ones). If you freeze leftover turkey, it’ll keep up to four months.
When reheating, retake temperatures just as you did the first time. “You should be reheating your leftovers to an internal temperature of 165° F. Check the internal temperature of the food in several places with a food thermometer after allowing a resting time,” she said.
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