Just about everybody loves Thanksgiving, with
its focus on family and friends, not to mention the great American feast —
a mouth-watering meal that can carry real health hazards.
There is the obvious danger of eating too
much, packing in massive amounts of calories from the carb-and-fat-laden pies,
mashed potatoes, gravy and dressings. Dressing can carry an extra peril known
as salmonella. Years ago, a newly married English friend of mine wound up in
the hospital, sicker than she had ever been in her young life.
Later, Sally described her bedside visitor, a
representative of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: “The first thing he
said to me was, ‘Did you stuff the turkey before you cooked it?’”
Yes, she did, determined to produce an
authentic American Thanksgiving dinner.
And the result was a case of salmonella, the
food-born ailment that lurks in underdone meats and the ingredients that may
contaminate them during cooking.
Here’s what the Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit
medical practice, has to say about salmonella on its Web site:
“In general, salmonella symptoms begin with
nausea and vomiting and progress to abdominal pains and diarrhea. Additional
signs and symptoms include fever, chills and muscle pains, and can last anywhere
from several days to two weeks.”
People have been known to die of salmonella
poisoning.
Tips for handling turkey safely include the
following:
• When buying the turkey, have it put in a
separate bag to prevent its juices from dripping on other foods.
• When you get it home, freeze the bird or
refrigerate it at 39.2 Fahrenheit or colder.
• Thaw a frozen turkey in a refrigerator, not
on the kitchen counter. A 20-pound turkey will take about four days to thaw in
the refrigerator.
• If it’s necessary to thaw the turkey
outside the refrigerator, keep it in its original wrap and immerse it in cold
water, changing it every 30 minutes, until the meat is pliable.
• When the turkey is thawed, wash it
thoroughly with cold water, drain and pat dry.
• Prepare and cook stuffing separately from
the turkey.
• All work surfaces and cooking equipment
that come in contact with the raw turkey should be washed thoroughly with hot,
soapy water, rinsed and dried.
• Use a meat thermometer to ensure the turkey
is thoroughly cooked. Test the fleshy part of the thigh to see that the
internal temperature is at least 185 Fahrenheit.
• If you don’t have a meat thermometer, move
the bird’s hip joint. If it moves easily, the thigh muscle is soft, and the
juices run clear, then the turkey is ready.
• Serve the cooked bird within 30 minutes of
removing it from the oven.
• Leftovers should be refrigerated as soon as
possible and used within four days. Stuffing and gravy should be used within
two days and discarded after that.More detailed information and recipes are
available by telephone at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (800) 535-4555,
or California Poultry Federation, (888) 822-4004.
Reach Margo Kline at mkline@syvjournal.com.