When I was teaching introductory nutrition, Thanksgiving week was always food safety week. I wasn’t obsessive that the students know the specific microbes and the incubation periods for food-borne illnesses, I just wanted them to understand how to reduce their risk of getting sick.
These days every new outbreak gets a banner headline in the news. As a result, you may get bent out of shape about contaminated Costco chicken salad or hepatitis A outbreaks at local eateries. Truth be known, probably more cases of food poisoning occur at home from improper handling than from tainted restaurant or grocery items. And Thanksgiving is one of the worst holidays for food poisoning. Think about it: Dinner is over and you begin to slide into turkey torpor, when you and the family fall asleep in front of the TV. (The Dallas Cowboys ain’t what they used to be.) Meanwhile, the turkey and other foods are sitting out at room temperature. Any self-respecting bacterium contained in that food is heeding the first commandment from Genesis: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Three or four hours later, you wake up and get the urge for a turkey sandwich with gravy. You barely warm the gravy and turkey in the microwave. The next morning, you’re running to the bathroom with upper and/or lower gastrointestinal distress.
Fortunately, this need not be your fate. Consider the following:
Wash your hands. Frequently. With soap and water.
Avoid cross contaminating raw and cooked foods. Use separate cutting boards for raw vegetables and meats. If you only have one cutting board, cut up the vegetables and fruit before you use it for meat.
Wash your knives and cutting boards between uses. Some people use a dilute bleach solution to do so, but soap and hot water work wonders.
The danger zone for bacterial growth is between 40° and 140° Fahrenheit for more than 2 hours. This means cook food completely, and store it in the fridge soon after eating. It also means don’t thaw your turkey at room temperature. Allow 1 day in the fridge for every 4 pounds of turkey. Therefore, a 16-pound behemoth should have been put in the fridge on Saturday or Sunday morning to be thawed for cooking on Thanksgiving.
Invest in a food thermometer. Poultry is done when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 165°F. The interior of your pan of dressing should also register 165°.
Stuffing a turkey is problematic precisely because of the temperature issue. By the time the turkey thigh registers 165°, the center of the stuffing may still be in the danger zone temperature-wise. The turkey carcass is a great heat insulator as well. If you must stuff your turkey (“Grandma always did it and we’re not dead yet”), do so just before it goes in the oven. Pack the cavity loosely so there’s more of a chance to heat things through.
Put leftovers away right after the meal. Use shallow dishes to allow the food to chill faster. If you’re sending food home with guests, make sure they have ways to get the goodies home safely. Let them borrow some blue ice blocks if they’ve got a distance to travel. Luckily, in the northern US it should be cold enough tomorrow night not to worry if the food is in the trunk of the car–if it’s been properly handled beforehand.
It doesn’t take a microbiologist to avoid getting food poisoning. A healthy respect for hygiene and temperatures will go a long way toward keeping you and your guests safe. Enjoy the holiday!
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