Daily Preparedness

Thanksgiving is nearly here–time to review safe turkey handling procedures. Serve up a feast, not a germ-fest by following these simple guidelines:

• Turkey is nutritious, low in fat and freezes well. Purchase an extra one at the season’s rock bottom prices and store in the deep freeze for nine months to one year. After that time, quality will begin to go downhill.
• Safe food handling is CRITICAL! Don’t fall into the ‘but my mother did it this way’ trap.
• If purchasing a fresh, never frozen turkey, purchase it only a day or two before Thanksgiving. Most stores allow you to reserve a fresh turkey. Purchase it last at the store and get it into the refrigerator at home quickly. Keep a tray under it to catch any drippings.
• Never purchase a pre-stuffed fresh (as in not frozen at the store) turkey.
• There are safe, FDA-approved frozen pre-stuffed turkeys. Follow instructions for these birds religiously.
• Allow plenty of time to defrost your turkey in THE REFRIGERATOR. Place turkey at bottom of frig with a drip tray under it.
• ALWAYS WASH HANDS BEFORE AND AFTER HANDLING THE TURKEY, EVEN IN THE PACKAGING.
• Never thaw a turkey on the counter. If you must rush the thawing process, keep the bird in water that is less than 70F. Change water every 30 minutes.
• Keep raw turkey away from other foods.
• Clean all surfaces that will come in contact with the raw bird–before and after contact!
• Remove packages of turkey ‘extras’ from both cavities of the bird.
• Consuming stuffing baked in the bird is a great way to contract a multitude of food-borne illnesses. Instead, stuff the turkey with ‘throw away’ items to keep the meat moist and bake your stuffing separately. The tops of celery, wilted lettuce, even apples are great things to stuff the turkey cavity with.
• If you absolutely insist on eating the stuffing from inside the bird, use a reliable meat thermometer to make certain that all inner parts of the stuffing have reached at least 165F. As an added precaution (but still NOT recommended) you can remove the stuffing, place in a baking dish and return to the oven until it reaches 180F.
• DO NOT cook your turkey in an oven below 325F. Some of the slow cook methods allow parts of the turkey to remain at too low a temperature to kill off harmful bacteria.
• Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey in multiple deep locations, such as the thigh joint. Even if the bird has a pop-up indicator, double check for yourself. Reliable digital meat thermometers that can sit outside your oven and alarm when a desired temperature is reached can be purchased for well under $20.
• You can safely let the turkey sit after roasting for 20 minutes. The maximum amount of time, in a cool room, that the food should be left out is two hours. Timing begins as soon as foods are removed from the oven or stovetop.
• Keep foods warm during dinner utilizing hot plates, warming trays, etc.
• Quickly refrigerate leftovers in small packages, spread out within the refrigerator. If your refrigerator is fool or leftovers are extremely warm, pre-cool them by immersing the sealed container of leftovers in a large container of ice.
• If you want to get a head start, prepare turkey stock this week. Freeze after cooled and you have the beginnings of gravy. You can also thicken the stock before freezing. Add this to the ‘brown bits’ in the bottom of your turkey roaster on Thanksgiving Day.
• Eat up leftovers quickly. Stuffing, pies, meats and gravies should be eaten with three to four days. Reheat only the amount you will eat at that meal. Freeze what you will not eat within the prescribed amount of time.
• THIS WEEK, check the temperature of your refrigerator to be certain that it is within the safe range–lower than 40F. Your home freezer should be 0F or lower.

Have a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

——-This week’s 10×100 Challenge Goals ———

The world is busy with its own cares, sorrows and joys, and pays little heed to you. There is but one great pass-word to success,—self-reliance.” William George Jordan

You need not scale the mountain in one day, merely take a little step forward.

57. Add some cash and quarters to your glove compartment. An empty prescription bottle or tube from mini-M&M’s work well.

58. Check outdoor walkways. Are they clear? Free from tripping hazards? Cracks?

59. Mail holiday gifts early to avoid paying express shipping charges.

60. Gather up your candles and see if you have enough to provide some light for 7-days. Store some matches (more than you think you need) with the candles.

61. Refill BBQ propane tanks if you have them.

62. Clean one pantry shelf. Move older food to the front.

63. Clean out your refrigerator. Discard old food and mark food that needs to be eaten up.

Since Sarah Polk, wife of President James K. Polk, hosted the first traditional White House Thanksgiving dinner featuring a turkey, the turkey has remained as the symbol of our Thanksgiving celebration. Once put forward as our national bird (somehow just wouldn’t be quite the same as an eagle), the humble turkey began in this country as a wild bird is now the main star of holiday dinners. The average American consumes 14.7 pounds of turkey per day, with some attempting to eat their quota on Thanksgiving Day.

The turkey is an affordable, nutritious and delicious addition to our dinner table.  It can be used for meals well beyond Thanksgiving Day, substituting for chicken in nearly any dish. Watch for sales on this well loved bird and put an extra one in the freezer for later on! Turkeys store well in the freezer for at least a year without loss of quality. After that time, if remaining solidly frozen, they can safely be consumed but will lose some quality.

As much as we love turkey, those big old birds do come with a few caveats. Safe food handling is critical to enjoying the holiday season without being forced to extend your holiday gathering to include medical personnel. Before our mandatory annual review of safe turkey handling, let us just quickly move past the old, “My mother did it this way for years as did her mother..blah, blah, blah.” Okay, so you all survived Mom’s questionable kitchen habits-good for you! But, why play Russian roulette when we now know better? Set the rationalizing aside and let’s discuss how to keep your holiday dinner something to be thankful for!

If you wish to purchase a fresh turkey–that is one that isn’t frozen at the store and should have never been frozen–purchase it only a day or two before the ‘Big Day’.  Add it to your shopping cart LAST, keep it on the bottom rack of the cart and make certain the bagger places Mr. Tom in his own bag. If it is a large bird, have them double bag it so that Tom doesn’t leak on his way home.

Once home, keep the original wrapper on the bird and place in a pan such as a large cake pan. Store Tom Turkey, with his tray, on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Keep it there until you are ready to pop it in the oven. Wash your hands thoroughly after you have the turkey safely stowed in the refrigerator.

NEVER buy a fresh, not frozen stuffed turkey. Bad idea! Harmful bacteria can multiple rapidly in the stuffing and transfer to the meat. There are safely prepared frozen, pre-stuffed turkeys but be certain that they are stamped with a USDA stamp of approval.

If you wish to begin with a frozen turkey, plan well how to defrost that bird. The safest method for defrosting is to leave the frozen bird in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Times for defrosting vary from 1 or 2 days for a 4 to 6 pound turkey all the way up to 6 days for a BIG bird of 20lb or more. A thawed turkey may remain safely in your refrigerator for up to 2 days. SO, if you are planning on serving a big turkey this year, purchase it late this week and settle it into the refrigerator.

NEVER ever leave the turkey sitting out on the counter, on the garage floor or in a bucket to thaw. You can thaw a bird by placing it in water less than 70F, but the water has to be changed every 30 minutes. With a big bird, this can still take more than a day.

Keep your turkey isolated. Think of them as germ-laden shy birds that need to be kept away from all other food products. Clean all surfaces with a disinfectant that the bird is going to touch or does touch. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling that raw bird. Do not re-use a cutting board or knife that has been using on a raw turkey.

Don’t cook a half-thawed bird. Remember to check both turkey cavities for packages of ‘extras’ and giblets. These need to be removed before roasting.

Next, we’ll tackle that sensitive subject of stuffing. The cavity of a turkey calls to cooks everywhere to stuff something in it. For generations, Americans suffered post-Thanksgiving stomach ‘bugs’ due to insisting on sticking old bread and assorted stuff inside their turkeys bodies and then eating that innard stuffing. If that doesn’t gross you out, understand that the blood and other fluids of the turkey seep into that conglomeration of old bread, veggies and what-not. Once there, the bacteria rapidly multiple as the rest of the bird cooks. Being buried in the deepest cavities of the turkey, the internal temperature of that stuffing is difficult to raise to much less maintain a temperature of more than 165F which is the point at which most food borne yuckies are killed off. It is much, much safer to just stuff that big old cavity with some cut up vegetables & fruits (try celery, onions, carrots, apples, oranges and some spices) plus some butter and let the turkey cook safely. The flavor will be great and you can even use slightly limp vegetables, the leafy bits off the celery that no one will eat, mushy apples-anything that isn’t rotten. If you want the white meat really moist and don’t care to present your turkey at the table ala Ozzie & Harriet, cook it with the breast down in the pan.

For you hard-headed types who are going to insist on stuffing something you will later eat into every orifice of your turkey, at least use a reliable meat thermometer to be certain that the most interior part of your stuffing is above 165F. Making certain that you are in the middle of the stuffing is slightly problematic, but go ahead if you insist. Any meat or vegetable product used in the making of your innards stuffing must be cooked prior to being included in the stuffing.

You smart folks who would rather sit around your living room than the emergency room, cook your stuffing separately and be thankful that you won’t be utilizing your medical insurance on Thanksgiving.

Do NOT cook your turkey below 325F. Below that temperature, parts of Tom Turkey are going to cook too slowly to thoroughly eradicate the Bad Guys before they have a chance to multiple.

When you think the bird is ready to eat, double check with a meat thermometer at a deep part of the turkey such as in the thigh joint (where the thigh meets the body). Even if the bird has a pop-up “I’m Ready!” button, double check for yourself.

You can safely let the turkey sit for 20 minutes before carving. Depending on the temperature of your home, don’t let the leftovers sit at room temperature more than two hours before refrigerating them. Timing begins the moment you take it out of the oven!

Package leftovers in small packages so that they chill quickly. Too much to be eaten within a few days? Slap some turkey and gravy in ziploc bags to store in the freezer for later meals. Yum!

If you are terribly clever and want to get a head start on a safe and delicious Thanksgiving meal, try this approach to making copious amounts of gravy:

This week purchase a package or two of turkey legs or wings. In a roasting pan, add cut up veggies (such as carrots, onions, celery, etc) to the turkey parts. Sprinkle everything with some salt and pepper, and/or poultry seasoning. Roast until well browned and very nearly cooked, uncovered, at 350F. Remove the turkey parts and veggies temporarily. Add several cups of water and scrape off all of the ‘brown bits’ on the side of the pan into the water. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE WATER! You are attempting to get all of that brown goodness into your stock!

Now, return the meat and veggies to the pan. Add enough water to cover all of the meat and veggies, plus several inches. Return to oven and roast for several more hours. Don’t let the water evaporate, add more if necessary. When everything smells super yummy and the meat is falling off the bones, strain it all through a colander into another container.

Now, cool this liquid and place into a freezer container or freezer bag. Label and stick in the freezer. On Thanksgiving, retrieve this bag and allow to thaw in the refrigerator (this might take over night if you have a big bag).

When it is time to make gravy, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and some cornstarch to your stock. Pour this concoction into the pan in which you roasted your turkey, scraping off the brown bits from the side. Add water and spices to taste. Enjoy really good gravy!

Have a healthy, happy, food poisoning-free Thanksgiving!

P.S. Don’t forget to check the sales flyers from your local grocery stores! Most of the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner are on sale and often have coupons. Stock up on staples that you will use throughout the year.