Handling the bird

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 1, 2000

There is basic information you'll need to know before handling turkey, regardless of how you plan to cook it. Clip and save this handy list of dos and don'ts. Our series "Turkey 4 Ways" begins today and continues in Taste through Nov. 19.

The safety suggestions are from the Partnership for Food Safety Education.

Stop bacteria

Wash hands with hot, soapy water before handling the turkey.

Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot, soapy water after they come in contact with the bird.

Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards. These boards should be run through the dishwasher or washed in hot, soapy water after use.

Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your clothes washer.

Cross-contamination is the scientific term for how bacteria can spread from one food to another, especially when handling raw meat, poultry and seafood, so keep these foods away from ready-to-eat foods. This is why stuffing the turkey with dressing has fallen out of favor with food experts. If you must do it, stuff the bird just before it goes in the oven.

Do not put cooked food on a plate which previously held the raw turkey.

Thawing the turkey

The best method of thawing is in the refrigerator. Place the turkey on a tray to catch juices. Allow 24 hours for 4 to 5 pounds of turkey (a 12-pound frozen turkey takes about three days). The only other recommended thawing method is in cold water. Place the turkey in its wrapper in cold water to cover. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep the surface cold. Allow 30 minutes per pound (about six hours for a 12-pound turkey).

Other tips:

Thawed and fresh turkey should be refrigerated and used within 1 to 2 days.

After the big meal, leftovers should be put in the refrigerator within two hours.

To prepare turkey for cooking, remove internal organs that have been stored in the cavity; reserve for gravy if you want. Wash turkey in cool water and pat dry with paper towels.

Cook it right

Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness, though opinions may vary about what exactly is high enough.

Use a clean thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the turkey, to make sure it is cooked all the way through.

"Safe" internal temperatures can range from 160 to 180 degrees. The Agriculture Department recommends waiting until thigh meat of a stuffed turkey reaches 180. According to The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry (Clarkson Potter, 1999), "a finished temperature of 160 to 165 degrees (for a turkey without stuffing) is more than adequate to kill possible pathogens, even according to USDA standards. A number of food scientists all confirmed the safety of this recommendation."

Most bacteria are killed at around 140 degrees. Bacteria in turkey meat cooked to 180 or 185 are long gone, they say, but so too are moistness and flavor.

Keep in mind that the turkey will continue to cook for a few minutes after it is removed from the heat. "Holdover" cooking could increase the temperature almost 10 degrees. The turkey should rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

For more help

The Partnership for Food Safety Education describes itself as a public-private partnership that combines the resources of the federal government, industry and consumer organizations to conduct its food safety education campaign.

For more information:

USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, (800) 535-4555.

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Outreach Center hotline, (800) 332-4010. Web site: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov.

Your local Cooperative Extension office. Look for the number in the White Pages under the county listings.

Partnership for Food Safety Education Web site, http://www.fightbac.org.

The home economists at Butterball will staff the turkey hotline beginning today. Call (800) 323-4848 during daytime business hours with questions. Last year, for safety reasons, the economists were not answering questions about deep frying turkeys. Information is also available from the Web site, http://www.butterball.com.

The site from the the National Turkey Federation (http://www.eatturkey.com), has a "pilgrim" icon on which to click for its Thanksgiving cooking pages, with lots about the birds, cooking safety, carving, chefs' advice and 500 recipes including regional and ethnic flavors.

Information from Times files was used in this report.

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