Food safety tips for holiday meals

A large crowd to cook for, a big bird to roast, and too many cooks in the kitchen can lead to foodborne illness from holiday dining. But handling and cooking a turkey should not be an illness waiting to happen. Following basic recommendations will help ensure safe food and prevent foodborne illness for diners - not only during the holidays, but year-round.

First be sure to keep everything clean! That includes your hands and kitchen surfaces while you are preparing holiday meals. Wash hands and kitchen surfaces often with hot soapy water. Also wash cutting boards, dishes, and utensils after preparing each food item and before you start another food item. Use paper toweling for cleaning up kitchen surfaces. Keep sponges out of the kitchen, they are not food safe!

Next, always separate raw and ready to eat foods. Cross-contamination is the scientific word for how bacteria can be spread from one food product to another. This process begins at the grocery store and continues to carry home bags, and your refrigerator. Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood and another cutting board for ready to eat foods. Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat and poultry unless the plate has been thoroughly cleaned.

Cook food to the proper temperature. Use a food thermometer to make sure meat and poultry are cooked to a proper temperature and keep a cooking internal temperature chart handy. Whole chicken and turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F to be safe. Use a calibrated food thermometer to check the turkey for doneness. For reasons of personal preference, it is still best to cook turkey to higher temperatures such as 180 degrees F to remove pink appearance and rubbery texture. Thoroughly reheat leftovers to 165 degrees F internal temperature and be sure to bring gravies, sauces and soups to a rolling boil.

Finally, chill everything promptly! Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours by placing them in shallow containers to cool rapidly. Keep the refrigerator temperature at 40 degrees F or below and the freezer at 0 degrees F. Monitor the temperature with an appliance thermometer. Always thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold water bath, or in the microwave and marinate foods in the refrigerator.