Andrew J. Spano
County Executive

November 23, 1999

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Contact Mary Landrigan

(914) 637-4715

The Westchester County Department of Health encourages residents to make sure that Thanksgiving memories are pleasant ones by carefully preparing their holiday turkeys to eliminate any potential disease-causing bacteria.

Turkey is a naturally high-risk food that often comes into the home carrying a variety of organisms, such as salmonella, that could cause holiday guests to become ill. The following turkey tips will help to ensure that your feast is delicious and safe:

Thawing – If turkeys are defrosted by microwave energy, they should be cooked immediately after thawing. Turkeys can also be defrosted by placing them in the refrigerator; the major disadvantage of refrigerator defrosting is the time required: 2 to 3 days, depending upon the size of the turkey.

Cooking – Turkeys should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. At this temperature, a vast reduction in any potentially harmful organisms will occur. The time required to attain this temperature will vary significantly, depending on factors such as oven temperature, oven temperature fluctuation and turkey weight. Unfortunately, a turkey will look "done" and be palatable even when cooked to lower internal temperatures. The safest procedure for determining when 165 degrees F. is reached is by a probe thermometer inserted deep into the meat.

Stuffing – Many foodborne outbreaks have been caused by stuffed, roasted turkey. This is due to the long cooking time required for heat to penetrate deep into the bird cavity and the possible contamination of the stuffing inside the turkey. The recommended procedure for cooking stuffing is to bake it separately in a shallow pan. Prepared in this manner, it cannot become contaminated with organisms from the inside of the turkey, and it will rapidly reach 165 degrees F.

Cooling – Improper cooling practices are the most frequent cause of foodborne outbreaks. The most efficient methods of rapidly cooling left-over turkey meat involves the use of ice baths – placing the

turkey either in a double plastic bag of ice, or in a pan over an ice bath. A less efficient but more practical method would be to debone the left-over turkey and refrigerate in shallow pans or trays with the turkey slices layered no higher than two inches. Stocks should similarly be cooled in shallow pans and then transferred to large vessels after reaching refrigerator temperature.

Reheating – Turkey meat, stuffing and stock should be reheated to at least 165 degrees F. when serving left-overs. The stock can be brought to boiling to ensure adequate reheating; its culinary quality will not be affected.

For more information on turkey safety, contact the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000 or visit their website at www.westchestergov.com.

-30-