Dining Safely This Thanksgiving

Are you preordering your Thanksgiving feast, or making it all from scratch? Either way, when you follow these simple food safety practices, you can reduce the likelihood of foodborne illnesses and, more importantly, help create a safer, more enjoyable holiday with your loved ones.

Tips for Handling Turkey

The main event of most Thanksgiving dinners is the turkey, so it’s important to follow safety practices for thawing, cooking, serving, and storing your holiday bird. Here are important tips to keep your turkey safe:

• Store your frozen turkey in the freezer until you are ready to thaw it.
• Don’t leave a frozen turkey out for more than two hours.
• Clean your hands and surfaces before handling a raw turkey, but don’t wash the bird; that can spread bacteria.

Thawing a Frozen Turkey

Never thaw your turkey on the counter. Even if the center is still frozen, parts of the turkey can reach unsafe temperatures. Germs can grow rapidly when even part of your turkey warms to more than 40 degrees.

Refrigerator Thawing (2 to 6 days)

This requires planning, as it can take anywhere from two to six days, depending on the size of the turkey. The upside of this method is that your thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for a day or two before you cook it. This is important if you want to brine your turkey.

• Keep the frozen turkey within its original packaging in the refrigerator.
• Keep your thawing turkey covered and in a leak-proof container away from foods that are ready to eat, such as desserts and salads, to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.
• Allow time to completely thaw your turkey. For each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey, it takes about 24 hours to thaw. For example, a 20-pound bird will take approximately 4 days to thaw.

Tip: If you’re making room to thaw your turkey in your fridge, it might be a great time to clean out your fridge.

Cold Water Thawing (2 to 12 hours)

If you need to thaw a turkey more quickly (from 2 to 12 hours), use the cold-water thawing method or microwave thawing. You must cook your thawed turkey immediately, however.

Cooking Your Turkey

Whichever method you use to thaw your turkey, make sure it’s completely thawed before you cook it.

• Set your oven’s temperature to a minimum of 325 degrees.
• Place the turkey in a roasting pan breast-side up on a wire rack.
• Make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees by inserting a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. To get an accurate reading, make sure not to touch the bone with the thermometer.
• To be safe, cook your stuffing separately in a deep baking dish. If you do stuff your turkey, allow extra time for the turkey to cook.

Turkey Safety Tips

Side-Dish Safety

Whether you’re picking up a pre-ordered dinner or refrigerating side dishes while putting the finishing touches on your home-cooked feast, simply keeping food warm is not enough.

One key to food safety is keeping foods either cold or hot enough. Harmful food bacteria multiply fastest when the temperature is between 40 and 140 degrees.

• Prepare salads, cranberries, and other cold items first and store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Make your hot dishes closer to serving time and use warming trays or slow cookers to keep hot food at 140 degrees or higher.

Looking to try something a little different this year? Check out our ideas for adding some flair to your meal with international Thanksgiving side dishes.

Keep Leftovers Safe

It can be hard to get moving after a big meal, but the USDA recommends that a cooked turkey sit out no longer than two hours.

Here are more tips for keeping leftovers safe:

• Once hot food starts cooling, it should be refrigerated within two hours.
• Store each dish separately in clean, sealable, leak-proof containers.
• Reheat to 165 degrees when you're ready to enjoy round two of your Thanksgiving meal.
• Leftovers will keep in the fridge for three to four days. If you can’t eat food that quickly, freeze it.

More Safety Tips

Cooking Safety: Prevent Cooking Fires

Cooking causes over half of all home fires, and the greatest number of home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are the top causes of those fires:

Source: U.S. Fire Administration, NFPA

One of the easiest ways to prevent these types of fires is to stay close by and attentive when cooking. If you’re using the stove or cooktop, stay in the kitchen. If you’re using your oven, stay at home. Also make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms are working.

Peace of Mind and Protection for Your Budget

Just like careful food handling keeps your holiday meal safe, a home warranty helps you safeguard your home year-round. During the holidays, your kitchen appliances, heating system, and other home essentials work harder than usual. A First American Home Warranty plan helps with unexpected breakdowns for many home systems and appliances, giving you one less thing to worry about.

Find the home warranty plan that fits your home and stay covered through every celebration.

The contents of this article are provided for general guidance only. First American Home Warranty does not assume any responsibility for losses or damages as a result of using this information.