10 Biggest Thanksgiving Food Safety Mistakes
Thanksgiving is about eating, drinking, and making merry-not making people sick. Poultry causes 15% of foodborne disease outbreaks, and with recent Cargill turkey recalls it's more important than ever to be fussy about food safety. You may scrub your cutting boards, use separate spoons, and wipe down germy surfaces with sanitary wipes. Unfortunately, that might not be enough. To help you have a healthy and happy Thanksgiving, we rounded up 10 common mistakes made before, during, and after the big meal-and easy ways to fix them.
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1. You Thaw Your Bird Without a Pan
A frozen turkey is safe from bacterial growth. But as soon as it begins to thaw, any bacteria on the bird will begin to grow, especially if your fridge isn't set at a crisp 40°F or below. Cooking the turkey at the proper temperature kills the bacteria, but if raw turkey comes in contact with other foods, it may put you at risk for food poisoning. "People may put the plastic-wrapped turkey on a shelf in their fridge over prepared or ready-to-eat foods, like raw fruits and veggies. Raw turkey juices can drip down and contaminate other foods," says Angela M. Fraser, PhD, food safety specialist at Clemson University. She advises putting it in a pan at least four inches deep on the lowest possible shelf.
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2. You Wash the Outside of Your Turkey with Water
Once you remove your turkey from the fridge, resist the urge to rinse it off with water. "By washing it, you add another risk factor," says Martin Bucknavage, senior food safety extension associate at Penn State University. "When people rinse the turkey, the water splashes all over the place and moves bacteria from the turkey's surface to countertops." Plus, rinsing won't reduce your risk of foodborne illnesses.
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3. You Don't Have a Designated Work Station
As guests arrive and the kitchen becomes chaotic, cooks often move from the sink to the oven and back to the fridge. "Don't carry the turkey around like it's a football," says Bucknavage. This increases your risk of spreading germs all over your countertops. Maintain order by setting up a workstation. Lay out your cutting board and tools so that you don't have to reach into cabinets and drawers. When you're done, you can wipe down your small section with disinfectant and put utensils in the dishwasher.
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4. You Only Clean Your Cutting Board and Utensils
Most people know to scrub their cutting boards, counters, and utensils right after using, but there are other areas people miss. "It's the 'high touch' surfaces-refrigerator, faucet, stove handles-that are often forgotten," says Fraser. You might touch the raw bird, put it in the pan, and then open up the fridge door to get some butter. Turns out that the refrigerator door handle, especially, is a highly-touched area. A recent study tested for contaminated surfaces in cold sufferers' homes. They found that refrigerator handles in eight out of 14 homes were contaminated, proving this surface is a germ hot spot. But before you reach for your wet wipes, be sure to check out the label. "Only certain wet wipes contain enough sanitizer to kill bacteria," says Fraser. She recommends checking your wipes to make sure they are labeled "for food prep."
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5. You Don't Own a Meat Thermometer
According to a recent survey, only 18% of Americans says they regularly use a meat thermometer! "The absolute worst thing you can do is to not cook turkey to at least 165°F," says Fraser. According to USDA recommendations, your turkey should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F to ensure you've killed any bacteria that may be lurking on your bird. Since even the best chefs can't guess temperature by just looking at the bird, it's important to buy a food thermometer, which is the most accurate way to take your meat's temperature. Steer clear of pop-up timers, as well, advises Fraser. Though they are usually reliable to within 1 to 2 °F, if they are placed in the bird improperly, the timer may not function correctly, leaving you with an under- or overcooked bird.
6. You Cook Your Stuffing In Your Bird
Stuffing, like the turkey, should reach a temperature of 165°F. Cooking it within the bird may result in just-right stuffing, but an overly crispy bird, and not cooking both enough may put you at risk for foodborne illness. "In my own experience, the bird will be 185°F by the time the stuffing is ready, and it starts to dry the meat out," says Bucknavage. To get the safest (and tastiest) meal, cook the stuffing and turkey separately.
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7. You Transport Your Food After It's Been Cooked
Even if you're not cooking Thanksgiving dinner at your house, you need to keep food safety issues in mind if you're pitching in with a few homemade dishes. So what's the best way to get your delicious dish to your destination safely? "Ideally, it's safer to transport raw product in a cooler and cook it at the location," says Fraser. The longer a dish sits at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria will start to grow. However, if baking it on location isn't an option, Fraser suggests putting your cooked food in an insulated container or stacking multiple dishes on top of each other, using towels to keep them as warm as possible.
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8. You Leave Your Cheese Dip Out All Day
Appetizers are a great way to greet guests with a snack and buy a few more minutes of prep time for the main meal. But after the bottles of wine have been popped, it becomes difficult to keep track of how long the onion dip has been sitting out, giving it plenty of opportunity to become contaminated. The USDA recommends that foods sit out no more than two hours. To keep track, set a timer for two hours from when you place the appetizers out on the table to make sure guests don't go digging into old dip. Or, regulate your dip's temperature by sitting it over ice to keep it chilled, suggests Fraser. Keeping it over ice will allow you to leave it out for another few hours.
9. You Overstuff Your Leftover Dishes
We know it's tempting to stick all the leftovers in a huge dish and be done with clean-up duty, but you may be setting yourself up for food poisoning. Huge piles of food cool more slowly and unevenly, encouraging bacteria growth. To avoid this, place your leftovers in small containers, and only up to two inches' worth of food. This includes the turkey, too. It's much safer to slice it into single servings than to put the entire bird in the fridge.
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10. Leftovers Sit in Your Fridge for Weeks
"FDA food code says you can leave food in the fridge for up to 7 days, but foods don't maintain their flavor that long," says Bucknavage. He suggests keeping foods for 3 to 4 days at most to maintain optimal taste and safety. If you're worried you won't be able to finish all of the food-just freeze it! But if you're going to use the freezer, freeze your favorite foods in portion-sized units, suggests Fraser. When you thaw them later, you'll have better-quality food and won't have to worry about separating large blocks of frozen food.
Tell us: If you saw a loved one making one of these food safety mistakes on Thanksgiving, would you tell them?
--By Mara Betsch, Prevention
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