Yes, theres a limit to how long your Thanksgiving dinner can stay on the table.
Usingthe proper defrosting techniqueis essential.
The key is planning.
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This will help ensure that your food stays safe and doesn’t get contaminated.
“double-check food preparation surfaces and utensils are clean.”
Clean hands, surfaces, and utensils with soap and warm water before cooking.
Wash hands for 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry.
After cleaning surfaces raw poultry has touched, apply a sanitizer.
“Symptoms of related foodborne illnesses can vary from person to person,” said Sims.
Long-term illnesses can occur from bacterial infections, too."
“To avoid this cross-contamination risk,donotwash your turkey,” said Pfaeffle.
“But if you do, fully clean and sanitize your sink.”
“Donotconsume raw foods that are designed to be cooked before eating them.
This includes raw cookie dough (and other raw dough), flour, and raw eggs.”
Flour is an agricultural product designed to be cooked before it’s eaten.
Eating raw eggs, which can harbor Salmonella bacteria, might cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal pain.
After time’s up, refrigerate or freeze the food that’s been sitting out.
Thecorrect refrigerator and freezer temperaturesare 40F or below and 0F or below.
To avoid bacteria growth, check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer.
And that’s still valid even if you order food to-go instead of cooking from scratch.
(Shallow containers help cool leftovers more quickly than large ones).
If you freezeleftover turkey, it’ll keep up to four months.
When reheating, retake temperatures just as you did the first time.
ET, Monday through Friday.
For last-minute help on Thanksgiving Day, the hotline is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For the latest food safety tips, visitFoodSafety.gov.
USDA.Food safety consumer research project: Meal preparation experiment related to poultry washing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.E.
Coli - Questions and Answers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella - Symptoms.
USDA,“Danger Zone”.Accessed December 13, 2022.
