The Following information is shared on behalf of Clark County Public Health.
November
21,
2013 Find us on Facebook
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Contact:
Alan Melnick, Clark County Health
Officer
Follow
food safety tips to enjoy safe, healthy holiday gatherings
Vancouver,
WA – Feasting with family and friends during the holidays is an age-old
tradition that lifts the spirits. By observing the following food safety
strategies, you can help keep holiday occasions free of food borne illness.
Clean: Wash hands and
food-contact (cutting boards) surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout
the kitchen and onto cutting boards, knives, sponges and counter tops. Use only
clean kitchen cloths and towels, and wash them promptly after wiping up meat
juices. Scrub fruits and vegetables under running water.
Separate: Don't
cross-contaminate. Don't let bacteria spread from one food, especially raw
meat, poultry and seafood, to another. Keep meats and their juices away from
ready-to-eat foods, and don’t store them above vegetables in the refrigerator
in case they drip fluid. Use separate cutting boards for meats and vegetables.
Cook: Foods are properly
cooked when they are heated long enough and at a high enough temperature to
kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Use a food thermometer
to make sure meat is thoroughly cooked to these temperatures:
Whole chicken or turkey – 165 degrees
Fahrenheit Stuffing and casseroles – 165 degrees
Fahrenheit Ground meat dishes – 160 degrees Fahrenheit
(165 degrees for ground poultry
Steaks, roasts and chops – 145 degrees
Fahrenheit
Chill: Refrigerate
leftovers promptly. Don’t leave food on the counter to cool down. Refrigerating
foods quickly keeps most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. The
refrigerator should be set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at 0
degrees Fahrenheit. The settings’ accuracy should be checked occasionally with
a thermometer.
Thawing
and cooking a turkey
A
fresh turkey – or any fresh poultry – should be cooked within two days of
purchase. If you’re thawing a frozen turkey, here is how to do it safely:
In the refrigerator:
Allow 24 hours of thawing for each four to five pounds of turkey – about three
days for a 12-pound turkey or five days for a 20-pound turkey.
In a bowl or sink filled with cold
water: Keep the turkey in its original wrapping and allow 30
minutes per pound. Change water frequently.
In the microwave:
Check the manual for thawing directions. After thawing, cook immediately.
For
optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook stuffing separately. If you do stuff
a turkey, use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing
reaches the safe, minimum, internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. To
ensure the turkey also reaches a minimum 165 degrees, insert a meat thermometer
in the deepest parts of the flesh. Let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before
removing the stuffing.
Refrigerated
turkey leftovers should be used within three or four days. See http://tinyurl.com/m34ablt for more
information.
More
food safety information:
- Washington
State Department of Health, www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/FoodSafety/Holidays.aspx
- Partnership
for Food Safety Education, www.fightbac.org/
- Foodsafety.gov, www.foodsafety.gov/index.html
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