Holiday Precautions Force Bacteria to Go 'Cold Turkey'

An ounce of prevention can keep food-borne bacteria from becoming an uninvited guest at your holiday table.

"Think sink, stove, and refrigerator," says Becky Gorham, a registered dietitian and research nutritionist with the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. "These kitchen staples are effective tools in preventing the growth of illness-causing bacteria," she says.

At the sink:

• Wash hands before and after handling any food. Keep utensils, dishes, counters, cutting boards, sinks, sponges, and towels clean. Use two cutting boards, one for meat and one for other foods, to prevent cross-contamination.

In the stove:

• Roast the turkey at 325 degrees or higher to minimize the time bacteria have to grow. If you are using a meat thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh next to the body. Cook a whole turkey to an internal temperature of 180 degrees. As a rule of thumb, an unstuffed turkey weighing more than 10 pounds needs to cook 15 minutes per pound. Allow 20 to 22 minutes per pound for smaller unstuffed birds.
  
  
• Use only pasteurized egg products and cooked ingredients such as sauteed vegetables, cooked meats, and poached or sauteed oysters in stuffing. Bake stuffing separately, or stuff the turkey just before roasting. Use 1/2 to 3/4 cup loosely packed stuffing per pound of bird. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the stuffing is heated to at least 165 degrees before removing from oven. Immediately remove cooked stuffing from the bird.

  In the refrigerator:
  
  

• Keep thawing birds cold. Gorham recommends thawing the turkey in its original wrapper on a tray in the refrigerator. "Allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of frozen bird," she says. As an alternative, thaw the bird in a sink of cold water, allowing 30 to 45 minutes per pound. Place bird in a sealed, heavy plastic bag and change the water every 30 minutes. Avoid thawing any frozen meat at room temperature.
  
  
• Store raw meats in sealed bags, on trays, on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator to prevent raw meat juices from contaminating other foods.
  
  
• Remove turkey meat from the bone to speed cooling of leftovers and store in a shallow container.
  
  
• Refrigerate turkey, stuffing, gravy, and egg-based pies within two hours of cooking. Use leftover turkey within four days; stuffing and gravy within two days.
  
  
• Avoid overloading the refrigerator. The main compartment should be a maximum of 40 degrees to inhibit bacterial growth.

If you follow these simple guidelines, harmful bacteria will have to go 'cold turkey' at your house this year.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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