OCTOBER 2016 • LEFRAK CITY COURIER • WWW.QNS.COM 31 Safety First! Tips for your Holiday Turkey In a tizzy over the turkey? You’re not alone. The main event of the feast makes even the most experienced cooks a little on edge. To brine or not to brine? Should I use Grandma’s old recipe? What about that recipe I saw online that looks pretty good? Don’t worry, you’ll figure all of that out well before the big day. What’s most important is to remember food safety. Improperly thawed or undercooked poultry or mishandled stuffing can quickly turn into food poisoning, which certainly isn’t the reason you want your meal to be memorable! So, first things first: follow these four safety tips to take the guesswork out of preparing your holiday turkey. 1. Safely Thaw a Turkey If you buy a frozen bird, thaw it the refrigerator, in a sink of cold water that is changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave. A frozen turkey is safe indefinitely, but a thawing turkey must defrost at a safe temperature. When the turkey is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, its temperature can creep into the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F, where bacteria can grow rapidly. 2. Safely Handle a Turkey Bacteria from raw poultry can contaminate anything that it touches. Thoroughly wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces to prevent the spread of bacteria to your food and family. 3. Safely Stuff a Turkey Cook stuffing in a casserole dish to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. If you stuff the turkey, do so just before cooking. Use a food thermometer to make sure the stuffing's center reaches 165°F. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165°F, and possibly cause food poisoning. 4. Safely Cook a Turkey Set the oven temperature to at least 325°. Place the completely thawed turkey with the breast side up in a roasting pan that is 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of the bird. To make sure the turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165°F, check by using a food thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing and the thickest portions of the breast, thigh, and wing joint. Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before carving the meat. For more information on cooking a turkey, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 or visit www.fsis.usda.gov. Preparing for Thanksgiving? Get the kids to help! Preparing a Thanksgiving meal is a big task, but you don't have to do all the work yourself. Make it a family affair and get your kids involved. Depending how old your kids are, they can help out in a variety of ways. First, sit down with everyone before Thanksgiving and plan your menu. Pick a couple side dishes to go with the main course, like vegetables, potatoes and salad. Find out what foods your kids want to eat and what new foods they would be willing to try. Use this time to explain the importance of having a balanced meal that includes turkey, vegetables and a variety of other dishes. Then pick something for dessert! On Thanksgiving, ask your youngsters to help set the dinner table. They can fold napkins, set out the plates, put ice cubes in the water glasses. They can also carry plated dishes to the serving area. If your kids are old enough to be in the kitchen, they can help with the side dishes. Have them slice cranberry sauce from a can or arrange pickles and olives on a platter or put the rolls in a serving dish. They can transfer food from pots into the serving dishes. If you bake homemade pies, let your kids mix the ingredients and pour the filling into the pie plate. For kids that want to be more hands on, get them involved with the prep work. Have them mash potatoes or chop vegetables for a salad. Just make sure they are being supervised when they are using sharp knives. If cooking isn’t your child’s thing, recruit them to help with clean up. Let them wash and dry the dishes or scrape and rinse them before loading the dishwasher, or have them sweep the floor. Don’t stress about doing all the work yourself this year. Use these tips to make cooking your Thanksgiving meal more fun by getting the whole family involved. (Source: kids.gov) Roasting Timetable Weight Hours to Roast (Pounds) Unstuffed* 8 - 12 2 ¾ - 3 12 - 14 3 – 3 ¾ 14 – 18 3 ¾ - 4 ¼ 18 – 20 4 ¼ - 4 ½ 20 – 24 4 ½ - 5 *Add 5 minutes per pound if stuffing the turkey What about Leftovers? You may want to immediately relax after such an awesome meal, but it’s important to remember to: • Refrigerate any leftovers within two hours after you’ve finished the meal. Prompt storage can prevent the growth of bacteria that can make you sick, and these bacteria can’t be smelled or tasted. • Store your leftovers in shallow containers and cut turkey into smaller pieces to decrease cooling time. • While you may have cooked the stuffing inside of your turkey, it should be stored separately from the turkey in a shallow container. • There are two storage options for your leftovers: • In the Fridge: Leftovers are safe for 3 to 4 days (that’s Monday!) and can be frozen during that time for longer storage. • In the Freezer: Frozen foods are safe forever if the temperature is 0 °F or below. For best quality, wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn and use within 2 to 6 months.
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