PEP's Nutrition Suggestions:
Food safety during the holidays
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa…What do they all have in common? Food. The next two months are the number one time for family get-togethers. Food safety is essential in avoiding any outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.

Here are some preparation and cooking techniques that will reduce your risk for food-borne illnesses:

• If you choose to buy a frozen bird you may do so at any time, but make sure you have adequate storage space in your freezer. If you buy a fresh turkey, be sure you purchase it only one to two days before cooking. Do not buy a pre-stuffed fresh turkey.

• Place frozen bird in original wrapper in the refrigerator (40°F). Allow approximately 24 hours per five pounds of turkey. After thawing, keep turkey refrigerated for only one to two days. Remember not to count the day you will be roasting it.

• Turkey or any meat should never be thawed at room temperature.

• Never use the same surface to prepare raw meats with foods that not going to be cooked. Bacteria found on raw meat can cross-contaminate other non-cooked foods.

• To assure that the turkey and stuffing have reached a safe temperature, always use a thermometer when you roast turkey. Because there is no visual test for stuffing doneness, the USDA recommends that you not stuff a turkey if you don't have a thermometer.

• A meat thermometer measures the internal temperature of foods as they cook. Insert a meat thermometer into the food at the beginning of the cooking time, making sure it is not touching bone.

• When buying a meat thermometer, look for an easy-to-read dial with a stainless-steel face and shatterproof lens.

• A meat thermometer can be checked for accuracy by submerging at least two inches of the stem in boiling water. It should read 212 degrees F. If the thermometer registers above or below 212 degrees F, add or subtract the same number of degrees from the temperature specified in the recipe and cook to that temperature.

• Stuff a turkey loosely. Stuffing will expand as it roasts. If stuffing is too tightly packed, it will not reach a safe temperature by the time the turkey is done.

• It is unsafe to stuff the turkey ahead of time. To be safe, the turkey should reach a temperature of 180 degrees F, and the stuffing in the body cavity of the bird should reach 165 degrees F. It's fine to make the crumbs or bread cubes ahead, but the stuffing should not be completely prepared ahead if it will be used to stuff a turkey. If the stuffing is to be baked in a casserole, it can be prepared in advance and chilled.

• Do not roast a turkey at a low temperature overnight. Roasting a turkey at a temperature below 325 degrees F allows harmful bacteria to multiply. Roasting the turkey at 325 degrees F kills the bacteria yet produces meat that is moist and tender.

• Before carving your turkey, be sure to remove all stuffing.

• After dinner, remove all meat from the carcass (this should be done within two hours of removing the turkey from the oven). Leftover turkey can be refrigerated and used within two days, or frozen in small portions. Be sure to label and date the wrapped packages and use within six months. Leftover turkey can be used in any recipe calling for cooked chicken or turkey.

Toting Foods Safely

• Finish cooking your food just as you're ready to leave home. Just before leaving, take the food from the oven or stove top.
   

• Wrap the covered dish, container, or crockery cooker in several layers of newspaper or a heavy towel. Place in an insulated cooler for transport. The food should stay hot for up to two hours. If you are using an electric crockery cooker, plug it in when you arrive at your destination and the food will keep warm on the low-heat setting for hours.
   

• If you're toting a salad or a cold appetizer, be sure to keep the food well-chilled. Chill a clean cooler by filling it with ice for at least 30 minutes before packing. Have the foods thoroughly chilled. Pack the food into the cooler just before leaving home.
   

• Whether you brought a hot or cold dish, discard any leftovers that have been left at room temperature for more than two hours.
  
  For more seasonal cooking tips, visit the USDA Web site at: www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/