By Dan Rahn
University of Georgia
While you’re feasting your eyes on your holiday turkey and
pondering biting into it, it’s already “thinking” about biting
you back. If you’re not careful, it will.
Think of the time after the turkey is cooked as a race that
starts when you take it out of the oven, said Judy Harrison, an
Extension Service foods specialist with the University of Georgia
College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Not putting leftovers into the refrigerator fast enough is just
one of the costly mistakes people make in buying, cooking,
serving and storing turkeys. “Between the store and the
leftovers,” she said, “a number of mistakes can make foodborne
illness possible.”
Behind the bite
Behind virtually all of the things people do wrong with turkeys,
Harrison said, is the fact that the bacteria with the bite, the
ones that cause foodborne illnesses, multiply fast between 40 and
140 degrees Fahrenheit.
These tips can help you avoid being bitten by a foodborne illness:
- Check and adhere to use-by dates on
fresh poultry packages. “Fresh turkeys are highly
perishable,” she said. “If you buy it too far in advance or don’t
use it by the date specified, it may start to spoil in your
refrigerator before you’re ready to cook it.” - Don’t stuff a turkey until you’re
ready to cook it. Stuffing it a day early can be a costly
shortcut. “If you stuff your turkey,” Harrison said, “do it right
before cooking and stuff it loosely.” - Thaw it in the fridge. Don’t
thaw a frozen turkey at room temperature. Thaw it in the
refrigerator, where it will stay cooler than 40 degrees, or in
cold water, changing the water every 20 to 30 minutes. - Serve no turkey before its
time. The safe way to tell when poultry is cooked
thoroughly is to use a food thermometer.
“Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh
muscle without touching the bone,” Harrison said. “When it
registers 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the bird is done. If you’re
cooking only white meat pieces, they’re done at 170 degrees.”
Stuffing should reach at least 165 degrees, Harrison said. You
can check it by inserting the food thermometer into the thickest
part of the stuffing. - Get the stuffing out. As soon
as the turkey’s done, remove all of the stuffing. Harmful
bacteria are more likely to grow in the stuffing if it stays in
the bird after cooking.
If you don’t need all the stuffing for the first serving, keep
the rest either in the refrigerator or above 140 degrees in the
oven, if you will be serving it soon. - Don’t leave the turkey out after the
meal. From the time the turkey comes out of the oven, you
have about 2 hours to carve it, serve it and then refrigerate or
freeze the leftovers.
When refrigerating meat or stuffing, store it in shallow covered
containers so it will cool quicker. It’s best to slice the
leftover meat or turkey so it cools fast.
“Leftover turkey will keep in the refrigerator for three or four
days,” Harrison said. “Use the stuffing and gravy within one or
two days. Bring leftover gravy to a rolling boil before you serve
it, and reheat stuffing to 165 degrees.”
For longer storage, she said, package leftovers in freezer
containers, freezer paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze
them. Use frozen turkey, stuffing and gravy within one month.
(Dan Rahn is a news editor with the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
