Cook that Thanksgiving Turkey

If Jean Weese could impart one bit of food safety advice this Thanksgiving, it would be to cook your turkey thoroughly.

Thoroughly, in this case, means an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Make sure that turkey is done, and use a thermometer,” says Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food safety specialist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food scientist.

A meat thermometer, in fact, should be considered essential equipment when cooking a turkey.

“Go out and buy a thermometer if you don’t have one because it’s pretty much the only way you can tell that a turkey is done,” she says.

To accurately gauge the cooking temperature, Weese advises placing the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, while avoiding contact with bone tissue.

Another major concern throughout the holiday season should be guarding against cross contamination, Weese says. This can occur when a raw meat product, such as turkey, comes in contact with some other food served raw, such as salads.

Indeed, cross contamination often occurs when such foods are placed on cutting boards or in bowls or dishes where raw meat previously has been.

Thorough cleaning of surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat is the best safeguard against cross contamination, Weese says.

“Whatever that raw bird touches must be sanitized thoroughly, because it will leave salmonella whatever it touches,” she says, adding this includes hands and any food, such as salads or fruits, that is eaten raw — anything.

Weese also recommends against stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey. Yes, there are recipes that ensure safe preparation and cooking of stuffed birds, but Weese says this ultimately proves self-defeating in the end.

As a rule, stuffing should be cooked at the same internal temperature as the rest of the turkey 165 degrees Fahrenheit — the reason why stuffing often proves to be self-defeating in the end.

“The stuffing has to get as hot as the turkey, but because it is in the cavity of the bird, it takes a lot longer to cook, Weese says.

The end result is an overcooked bird.

“You often end up overcooking your turkey just to get the dressing done,” she says.

Weese says a far better alternative is to cook the stuffing separately. With an empty cavity, the birds also are done a lot sooner. And while turkeys may look more attractive on the dinner table with the stuffing, Weese still wonders why anyone would go to the trouble of bothering with stuffing.

“It may look pretty on the table, but it will be only a matter of minutes before it’s carved up anyway, so why bother?” she asks.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at November 19, 2007 03:47 PM