Thanksgiving Food Safety
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Thanksgiving Food Safety

As you pull together the menu for next week’s Thanksgiving meal, it's crucial to prioritize food safety to ensure a memorable and illness-free celebration. Proper handling, preparation, and storage techniques will help ensure a worry-free feast that gets remembered for all the right reasons.

Here’s what you need to know:

Thawing

Proper thawing is essential for food safety. The safest method is to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator.

  • Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator.

    • Keep your turkey in its original wrapping and place it in a container before putting it in the refrigerator to prevent turkey juice from dripping on other food.

    • Allow about 24 hours of thawing for each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey.

    • A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can remain in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before cooking.

  • Thaw your turkey in cold water.

    • Be sure your turkey is in a leakproof plastic bag before you place it in the sink.

      • The bag will prevent the turkey juice from spreading in the kitchen.

      • The bag also will prevent the turkey from absorbing water, which could make your cooked turkey runny.

    • Completely cover your turkey with cold tap water.

    • Change the water every 30 minutes.

    • Allow about 30 minutes of thawing for each pound of turkey.

    • A turkey thawed in cold water must be cooked immediately after thawing.

  • Thaw your turkey in the microwave.

    • Follow the microwave manufacturer’s instructions for thawing your turkey.

    • A turkey thawed in the microwave must be cooked immediately after thawing.

Never thaw your turkey by leaving it out on the counter. A turkey must thaw at a safe temperature. When a turkey stays out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, its temperature becomes unsafe even if the center is still frozen. Germs can grow rapidly in the “danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F.

Get more information about thawing turkeys.

Preparation

Contrary to popular belief, washing your turkey before cooking is not recommended. This practice can spread bacteria up to three feet away, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.

Instead, focus on proper cooking to eliminate harmful pathogens.

Cooking

To ensure your turkey is thoroughly cooked:

  • Set your oven temperature to at least 325°F.

  • Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature in three locations: the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, and the thickest part of the breast.

  • The turkey is safe to eat when all three locations reach 165°F.

Cross-Contamination Prevention

Avoid spreading bacteria by using separate cutting boards, plates, and utensils for raw turkey and ready-to-eat foods.

Clean and sanitize all surfaces that have come in contact with raw poultry, including countertops, sinks, and utensils.

Stuffing Safety

For optimal safety, cook stuffing separately in a baking dish rather than inside the turkey.

If you choose to stuff your turkey, follow these guidelines:

  • Prepare wet and dry ingredients separately and refrigerate until ready to use.

  • Mix ingredients just before filling the turkey cavity.

  • Stuff the turkey loosely, using about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound.

  • Cook the stuffed turkey immediately in an oven set no lower than 325°F.

Leftover Management

Proper handling of leftovers is crucial to prevent foodborne illness:

  • Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking.

  • Store food in shallow containers to promote rapid cooling.

  • Consume refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days.

  • For longer storage, freeze leftovers in airtight containers or freezer bags.

Additional Safety Tips

  • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after food preparation.

  • Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of all dishes, including casseroles and reheated items.

  • Keep hot foods hot (above 140°F) and cold foods cold (below 40°F) to avoid the "danger zone" where bacteria multiply rapidly.

  • If you're unsure about the safety of a food item, remember the adage: "When in doubt, throw it out.”

By following these guidelines, you can feel confident you’re sharing a savory and savory meal for all your guests.  

For additional tips on preparing and roasting a turkey—including a roasting time calculator—visit the FDA Turkey Basics website.

 

Russell Carrier is the nutrition and dinning kitchen manager at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center

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Emergency Department: Open, Ready, Safe. 

The last 3 months have been a uniquely challenging experience in the SVMC Emergency Department (ED) and emergency departments and hospitals all over the country and the world. I am very proud of all our staff has done and continues to do to ensure safe care for patients during this era of COVID-19. We are grateful that cases of COVID-19 in our area have been the lowest in the U.S. and have decreased even further over the past several weeks. We are also heartened to see that patients who had been avoiding the ED are now confident to return to get the care they need.

It may be surprising to hear that over the past few months, the sickest patients we have seen in the ER have not had COVID-19. Many people have refrained from seeking care for serious medical problems due to the fear of being exposed to the virus, assuming that the hospital was not a safe place to be and not recognizing the seriousness of their symptoms. The most challenging moments of the past several months have involved critically ill patients who tried to stay away for far too long due to fear of being exposed to COVID-19. We have had many sad moments trying to care for those who waited until it was too late for us to help with conditions that could have been easily treated if presented sooner.

One might expect that the greatest challenges related to the pandemic were those needed to adapt our facilities and procedures and the work of caring for sick COVID-19 patients. SVMC is fortunate to have built a strong foundation of safety and infection-prevention methods over many years, which made this transition much easier. Still, when it became apparent that we were going to see COVID-19 cases coming through our doors, we implemented many COVID-specific changes very quickly.

From day one our staff have all been fully trained to use protective equipment effectively, to focus on cleaning and disinfecting, and to move patients safely through the new areas created to keep them safe. We also spaced the waiting room chairs to allow for plenty of distance and initiated drive-by testing to keep potentially contagious people outside and away from other patients.

We immediately increased our standard of protective equipment we use. For example, all staff who relate with patients now wear both a mask and protective shield, which is a proven and effective strategy to prevent transmission. Those staff who work with patients with respiratory or other contagious symptoms also wear a gown and advanced respirators developed in cooperation with Mack Molding in Arlington. They look strange, but they help us deliver care safely.

We also quickly built special spaces and units in the hospital to treat and segregate patients with respiratory symptoms who might be contagious from those with other routine medical problems. Outpatients with symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 are directed to a spacious area called the Respiratory Evaluation Center. There they can be taken to a safe treatment space called a negative-pressure room without encountering any patients who are using the ED for other reasons or any staff who are not fully equipped with protective gear. There are similar, safe, negative-pressure units for those who require treatment in the ED or hospital.

Our hard work paid off. We have treated a number of COVID-19 patients in our ED and, as far as we know, not a single staff member was sickened in relation to their work here, and no patients have contracted COVID-19 while under our care. With our current procedures and drastically declining COVID numbers, we are confident that we can continue that trend. Furthermore, SVMC recently received a perfect score on a rigorous survey specifically designed to judge our ability to prevent transmission of COVID-19. At this time our ED is safer than just about any other public place you could go.

My goal in writing today is to communicate that SVMC’s Emergency Department is open, ready, and safe. If you need emergency care, we are here and we can care for you safely. Please do not defer emergency care until it is too late for us to help. While many symptoms can represent a serious medical problem, the most concerning are chest pain, difficulty breathing, fast heart rate, confusion, high fever, intense headache, drooping face, dehydration, or weakness. Of course, with any other symptom you feel indicates a serious problem, come in right away or call 9-1-1.

For us, spending time with patients and connecting on a personal level is the best part of our jobs. We take pride in our life-saving role in our communities and the work we have been able to do during the pandemic, but we cannot help if you do not come in. Please don’t hesitate to get the care you need when you need it.

Adam Cohen, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. He also serves as the chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and the medical director of SVMC’s Emergency Department.

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