With Thanksgiving Day underway for many, it’s important to be safe when preparing the feast for family and friends.
The website Food safety.gov tells cooks to ensure that once the turkey is thawed out, it’s important to correctly prevent the spread of germs and other bacteria.
As often as possible, wash your hands with soap and use a separate cutting board if you’re cutting raw turkey.
Any surface that has touched raw meat should be washed as soon as possible to prevent the spread of germs like Salmonella.
It’s also recommended not to wash the raw turkey itself. If you want to cook stuffing, the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends using a separate dish because if it doesn’t reach 165 degrees, people can get sick from it.
Turkey should also be cooked to at least 165 degrees before being eaten to prevent food-borne illnesses from spreading.
It is also important to watch leftovers once the meal is finished.
Refrigerate all leftovers at 40 degrees or colder within two hours of serving.
Leftovers should be thrown out after three or four days, but they can last longer if frozen.
