{"id":15568,"date":"2019-11-20T05:58:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T11:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/?p=15568"},"modified":"2019-11-20T05:58:20","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T11:58:20","slug":"lets-talk-turkey-food-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/articles\/food-safety-news\/lets-talk-turkey-food-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey Food Safety Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For most people, turkey is a important part of the holidays. With all that is going on with the holidays, cooking can also be a lot of pressure and you don\u2019t want to make anyone sick. Follow these simple steps to avoid giving your family and friends the \u2018gift\u2019 of food illness.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19073 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_009_shutterstock_225617665.jpg\" alt=\"turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" srcset=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_009_shutterstock_225617665.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_009_shutterstock_225617665-225x150.jpg 225w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_009_shutterstock_225617665-125x83.jpg 125w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_009_shutterstock_225617665-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_cooking_holidays_food_safety_illness_009_shutterstock_225617665-660x439.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/thanksgiving-turkey-225617665\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Don&#8217;t Wash the Raw Turkey<\/h3>\n<p>According to a recent food-safety survey conducted by the FDA, 68% of the public washes a whole turkey before cooking it. However,\u00a0 the USDA does not recommend washing raw meat and poultry before cooking because it can spread bacteria up to 3 feet around the sink. Cooking meat and poultry to the right temperature kills any bacteria present, so washing meat and poultry is not necessary.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JZXDotD4p9c\" width=\"980\" height=\"551\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Safely Defrost or Thaw Your Turkey<\/h3>\n<p>Defrost or thaw turkeys in the <strong><em>refrigerator<\/em><\/strong>, in a <strong><em>sink of cold wate<\/em><\/strong>r (changed every 30 minutes), or in the <strong><em>microwave<\/em><\/strong>. Never thaw your turkey by leaving it out on the counter. Bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature, so don\u2019t thaw foods on the counter!<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"help-box\">\r\n<div class=\"help-title\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-right: 8px;\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/index_files\/food_safety_training_banner_icon.png\" alt=\"Food Safety Training\" width=\"39\" height=\"39\" align=\"absmiddle\" \/>Food Safety Training - SALE 10% OFF<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"help-link\"><a class=\"help-button\" title=\"More Info\/Enroll Now\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/food_service_safety_training_courses.html\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" >State Map<\/a><\/div>\r\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Learn about foodborne pathogens, cross contamination, cold and hot food safety, and best practices to prevent foodborne illness.<\/li>\r\n<li>Food Manager ANSI Certification: $99.00 - Valid in all States<\/li>\r\n<li>Food Handler Training: Only $7.00!<\/li>\r\n<li>10% OFF: Enter Promo Code \"train10off\" at Checkout<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p>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 becomes unsafe as it moves into the danger zone between 40\u00b0F and 140\u00b0F, where bacteria can grow rapidly.<br \/>\nThe easiest way to get that frozen bird thawed is in the refrigerator. It will defrost at a rate of about four pounds per day, so the average 16-pound turkey could take at least four days to completely thaw! If you fail to give your turkey enough time to thaw, it will cook on the outside, but the inside will be super raw.<br \/>\nCheck out all the ways to thaw a turkey below in the infographic:<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 970px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-15480 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/23561538_1596680530378298_63272059546316710_n.jpg\" alt=\"USDA Infographic - Three Ways to Safely Thaw a Turkey\" width=\"960\" height=\"931\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/media\/blog\/2016\/11\/18\/how-safely-thaw-turkey\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Cooking Safe Temperature<\/h3>\n<p>To make sure the turkey has reached a <em><strong>safe minimum internal temperature of 165\u00b0F<\/strong><\/em>, check by inserting a food thermometer into:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>the thickest part of the breast;<\/li>\n<li>the innermost part of the wing; and<\/li>\n<li>the innermost part of the thigh.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-19070\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/turkey_min_safe_cooking_temperature_food_safety_001.jpg\" alt=\"turkey_min_safe_cooking_temperature_food_safety\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" \/><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Leftovers<\/h3>\n<p>Cut the turkey off the bone and refrigerate it <strong><em>within 2 hours of the turkey coming out of the oven<\/em><\/strong>. Leftovers will <strong><em>last for 4 days in the refrigerator<\/em><\/strong>, so if you know you won\u2019t use them right away, pack them into freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze. For best quality, use your leftover <strong><em>frozen turkey within 4 months<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19072 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/leftovers_party_food_safety_illness_007_shutterstock_1049405960.jpg\" alt=\"leftovers_holidays_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/frozen-food-container-freezer-refrigerator-ready-1049405960\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Additional Resources<\/h3>\n<p>If you have questions about your turkey dinner, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at \u00a01-888-674-6854 to talk to a food-safety expert. You can also chat live with a food-safety expert at <a class=\"content-link external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/wps\/portal\/informational\/askkaren\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow\" >AskKaren.gov<\/a>, available from 7 a.m. to 1\u00a0p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, in English and Spanish.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For most people, turkey is a important part of the holidays. With all that is going on with the holidays, cooking can be a lot of pressure, and you don\u2019t want to make anyone sick.<br \/>\nFollow these simple steps to avoid giving your family and friends the \u2018gift\u2019 of food illness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[79,271],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15568"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}