Website design By BotEap.comWith the ‘Holiday Season’ right around the corner, visions of a perfectly browned turkey with all the trimmings are sure to be dancing in your head. Mmmm… I can almost taste it!

Website design By BotEap.comI’m sure visions of disease-causing bacteria and food poisoning are the furthest things from your mind. Let’s keep it up…by focusing on the proper handling, cooking and storage of your Holiday Bird. Let’s keep the “Happy” in “Vacation”, shall we?

Website design By BotEap.comBy following a few simple rules and taking a few extra precautions, your holiday festivities can be safe and healthy. Let’s walk through the process together…

Website design By BotEap.comPurchase of poultry

Website design By BotEap.comselect a bird [turkey, chicken, goose, duck] that’s the appropriate weight for your family or holiday gathering. Will you choose fresh or frozen? If you don’t have a lot of space in the refrigerator for the long defrosting process [see Thawing below], then fresh may be a better option. Most grocery stores accept orders for the specific size of fresh bird you want and the date you want it picked up. To avoid cross contamination, separate your ‘bird’ from your other grocery items for the trip home.

Website design By BotEap.comPoultry Storage

Website design By BotEap.comBacteria grow rapidly at room temperature, so don’t leave your Bird in the car or on the counter when you get home. Refrigerate or put it in the freezer right away. If you are not going to freeze it, be sure to use it within 3 days.

Website design By BotEap.compoultry thawing

Website design By BotEap.comThawing your ‘bird’ in the refrigerator is the preferred and safest method. This can take a bit of time, so be sure to plan ahead. Allow 24 hours for 4-5 lbs. That means if you’re cooking a 12-pound turkey, you’ll need 3 days to thaw it. Keep the bird in its original packaging and place it on a tray in the refrigerator to catch any liquid that may spill during the thawing process.

Website design By BotEap.comYou can also use your microwave oven to safely defrost your ‘bird’. After consulting the owner’s manual [hopefully you can find it…] For times and power levels, remove all outer wrapping and place your ‘bird’ on a microwave-safe plate. Cook your turkey immediately after thawing and DO NOT refreeze.

Website design By BotEap.comA final method, which is more labor intensive, is thawing in cold water. Fill the sink with enough cold water to fully submerge the turkey, making sure it is well wrapped. You’ll have to change the water every 30 minutes, so don’t shop today! Again, you’ll need to cook the turkey immediately after thawing it, and refreezing it is definitely a ‘no-no’. Using this method, wait 30 minutes per pound…. Your 16 pound bird will take 8 hours, and who has time for that? With all this handling, remember to wash your hands before and after, or use hand sanitizer…alcohol free is my preference. I keep one on my kitchen counter at all times.

Website design By BotEap.comroast the turkey

Website design By BotEap.comThis is the best part of meal prep, as it will fill your home with wonderful aromas and free you up for several hours to prepare the rest of the meal. It is also the most dangerous stage, as there are many opportunities for cross-contamination of bacteria. Hand washing and/or disinfection is mandatory.

Website design By BotEap.comYou don’t want your turkey meat to be ‘dry’, then slow and low is the best policy for turkey perfection! I prefer to cook mine at 350 F., but you shouldn’t go below 325 F. We’re getting ahead of ourselves… Before you take your turkey out of the fridge, you need to prepare your prep surface. Wash your hands well and sanitize your counter. A teaspoon [5 mL] bleach combined with 3 cups [750 mL] of water in a spray bottle will do the trick after you’ve cleaned the surface. After sanitizing, wait a few minutes, then rinse the counter with plenty of clean water and air dry or use clean towels to dry.

Website design By BotEap.comRemove the giblets and organs from the cavity and rinse it well under running water. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Website design By BotEap.comTo fill or not to fill… That is the question. Stuffing is delicious and keeps the turkey moist, but be aware that because stuffing and turkey typically reach their safe temperatures at different times, a stuffed turkey can be a potential salmonella disaster. You may want to consider cooking the filling separately this year. The bonus? An unstuffed turkey takes less time to cook: 14 pound stuffed will take 4 hours to cook, but its unstuffed partner only 3-3/4 hours. Those 15 minutes can be critical when you have a hungry crowd waiting! You’ll also want to check the internal temperature of the bird…. Perfection starts at 180 degrees F.

Website design By BotEap.comDealing with leftovers

Website design By BotEap.comSome would say that leftovers are the best part of a turkey dinner…they’re delicious, but not “the best” part!

Website design By BotEap.comThe ideal way to safely store leftovers is to remove the meat from the carcass and refrigerate it in small containers as soon as possible. Plan to use leftovers within two to three days. If I haven’t convinced you to cook the stuffing separately, be sure to remove it all from the turkey immediately after cooking to promote faster cooling. The stuffing is moist and takes time to heat up and cool down…an ideal climate for bacteria to grow.

Website design By BotEap.comOffer leftover ‘care packages’ to your guests and use the leftover carcass to make delicious soup!
Ensuring a Healthy Holiday Season…

Website design By BotEap.comThere are so many wonderful things about the holidays, why let Salmonella ruin the fun?

Website design By BotEap.comBetween 6,000 and 12,000 cases of Salmonella are reported in Canada each year. Diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps can last up to seven days, so this is definitely something to avoid. Being extremely cautious when handling raw meat, and in this case, poultry, protects you and your family from unwanted illnesses. Hand sanitizers kill 99.9% of disease-causing bacteria, including Salmonella, in 15 seconds…and are 100% portable. Keep a few bottles in your home… give yourself the Gift of Prevention this year.

Website design By BotEap.comFollowing these simple yet important steps will keep your family and guests healthy and able to enjoy every moment of this special time of year.