Daniel Salzler No. 1281 EnviroInsight.org Two Items November 22, 2024
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
- Thanksgiving Preparation. As we are about to sit down at the dinner table to give thanks for a hearty meal and all of the “good” that life has given us, we also need to know enough to make sure nobody gets sick. Here are several tips to help you make Thanksgiving truly a day to give thanks. According to the food, safety and education, staff food, safety, and inspection service USDA the approximate turkey roasting times are as follows.:
But first: Thaw your frozen bird:
Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator.
Keep your turkey in its original wrapping and place it in a container before putting it in the refrigerator. The container will prevent the turkey’s juice from dripping on other food.
Allow about 24 hours of thawing for each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey.
A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can remain in the refrigerator for 1–2 days before cooking.
Thaw your turkey in cold water.
Be Sure your turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag before you place it in the sink. The bag will prevent the turkey’s juice from spreading in the kitchen. It will also prevent the turkey from absorbing water, which can make your cooked turkey runny.
Make sure your turkey is fully covered with the cold tap water.
Change the water every 30 minutes.
Allow about 30 minutes of thawing for each pound of turkey.
A turkey thawed in cold water must be cooked immediately after thawing.
Thaw your turkey in the microwave.
Follow the microwave manufacturer’s instructions for thawing turkeys.
Ensure your turkey fits in the microwave with enough room for air to circulate. A standard microwave will usually hold a turkey less than 12lbs.
A turkey thawed in the microwave must be cooked immediately after thawing.
Cooking Your Bird
Traditional Roasting (Easy)
The easy way? Pop that turkey into a roasting pan, set the oven to 325˚F, and check back in a couple hours. When your food thermometer registers 165˚F in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast, the turkey is ready. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes so the juices can settle, then it’s ready to carve.
Traditional Stuffed Roasting (Easy)
This method it still easy, but requires a little more work. Shortly before you plan to put the turkey in the oven, prepare your stuffing, and stuff the turkey. When your food thermometer registers 165˚F in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, the thickest part of the breast and the center of the stuffing, the turkey is ready. Remove the stuffing immediately and cover. Let the turkey stand for 15-20 minutes so the juices can settle, then it’s ready to carve.
Oven Bag Roasting (Easy)
If you want to cook your turkey the easy way, but a little faster, use an oven bag. The oven bag will save cooking and cleanup time. Follow the cooking directions on the box; add 30 minutes to the recommended cooking time if you choose to stuff your turkey. Your turkey is safe to eat when the thermometer registers 165˚F in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, the thickest part of the breast and the center of the stuffing.
Grilling or Smoking (Moderate)
Cooking the turkey outside leaves more room for other dishes in the oven and also results in a delicious turkey. Grilling is cooking food over direct heat on a rack set over charcoal, wood or special rocks heated by a gas flame. Allow 15 to 18 minutes per pound when cooking a turkey on the grill. When the weather is cold it could take longer. Smoking is cooking food indirectly and slowly over a drip pan in a covered grill or smoker. Cooking time depends on many factors: the type of meat, its size and shape, the distance of food from the heat, the temperature of the coals and the weather. It can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours to smoke a turkey.
Turkeys that are grilled or smoked should not be stuffed. Smoked or grilled, your turkey is safe to eat when the thermometer registers 165˚F in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast. For more information on grilling, see: Barbecue and Food Safety . For information on smoking, see: Smoking Meat and Poultry .
Fried Turkey (Advanced)
Although a whole turkey can cook in less than an hour using this method, there are safety concerns when working with such a large amount of hot oil. A whole turkey can be successfully cooked by the deep fat frying method, provided the turkey is not stuffed and has been completely thawed. The turkey should be 12 pounds or less in size. For more information about deep fat frying a turkey, please see: Deep Fat Frying and Food Safety .
After Cooking
When dinner is over, carve the rest of the turkey from the bone and refrigerate it immediately. For safety, make sure the turkey is refrigerated within 2 hours of coming out of the oven. To make using those leftovers easy, divide the turkey up into meal-sized portions. Use leftovers within 4 days or freeze them. If there is gravy left over, you can freeze that too. Although this future dinner will be safe indefinitely, it will taste best if you eat it within 4 months.
If you have questions about roasting your turkey, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), or chat live with a food safety specialist at AskKaren.gov , available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, in English or Spanish.
Handle Turkey Correctly to Prevent the Spread of Germs
Raw turkey and its juice can contaminate anything they touch. Be sure to handle your turkey correctly to prevent harmful germs from spreading to your food, family, and friends.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling turkey.
- Use a separate cutting board for raw turkey.
- Never place cooked food or fresh produce on a plate, cutting board, or other surface that held raw turkey.
- Wash cutting boards, utensils, dishes, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing raw turkey and before you prepare the next item.
- Do not wash or rinse raw turkey. Washing your turkey can make you and your family sick. Poultry juices can spread in the kitchen and contaminate other foods, utensils, and countertops.
Cook Stuffing Thoroughly
It’s safest to cook stuffing in a casserole dish instead of inside your turkey. Cooking stuffing in a casserole dish makes it easy to be sure the stuffing is thoroughly cooked. If you do cook stuffing in the turkey, put the stuffing in the turkey just before cooking.
With either cooking method, use a food thermometer to make sure the stuffing’s center reaches 165°F (74°C). Germs can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165°F (74°C). If you cooked the stuffing in your turkey, wait 20 minutes after taking the bird out of the oven before removing the stuffing.
Cook Turkey Thoroughly
To roast a turkey in your oven, set the oven temperature to at least 325°F (163°C). Place the completely thawed turkey in a roasting pan that is 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. Cooking times depend on the weight of the turkey and whether it is stuffed.
Use a food thermometer to make sure the turkey has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Check by inserting a food thermometer into the center of the stuffing and the thickest part of the breast, thigh, and wing. Even if your turkey has a pop-up timer, you should still use a food thermometer to check that it is safely cooked. Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before removing all stuffing from the cavity and carving the meat. This will let the stuffing cook a little longer and make the turkey easier to carve.
If you are cooking your turkey using another method, such as smoking or frying it, or roasting a turkey that is not fully thawed, follow these guidelines for cooking your bird safely.
Learn more about safe minimum internal temperatures for other foods and how to use a food thermometer.
Take Care of Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers at 40°F (4°C) or colder within 2 hours of serving to prevent food poisoning. Slice or divide big cuts of meat, such as a roast turkey, into small quantities for refrigeration so they can cool quickly. Reheat all leftovers to at least 165°F (74°C) before serving.
Cooked turkey and dishes made with turkey, such as a casserole, can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or can be frozen to store longer.
Always refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90°F (32°C) (like a hot car or picnic).
If you have questions about preparing Thanksgiving dinner, contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline to talk to a food safety expert. Call 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), email at [email protected], or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
2. Your Cutting Board May Have 200 Times More Fecal Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat.
Source: Food and Wine Sept 18, 2024
This Is the Germiest Place In Your Kitchen, According to Science
So where does this not-so-fun fact come from, and is it true? I went down a rabbit hole into the internet to find out, in the hopes that I could ultimately keep my cutting board cleaner.
The origin of this bold assertion — that cutting boards typically have 200 times more fecal bacteria than a toilet — has two sources. Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of virology at the University of Arizona, has regularly cited the statistic in interviews with media outlets including CNN and even us, Food & Wine. However, my digital sleuthing hasn’t revealed any published research from Dr. Gerba or the University of Arizona that resulted in this finding, and instead, he seems to be referencing a survey conducted by the Global Hygiene Council (GHC), an organization that is “made up of leading global experts in hygiene and associated disciplines.”
An infographic from the GHC, referenced in the Huffington Post’s 2014 article about bacterial contamination in kitchens, is the only published resource that says cutting boards have 200 times more bacteria than a toilet. Unfortunately the Huffington Post does not link to any research from the GHC that led to this conclusion, the media outlet’s hyperlink to the UK’s National Health Service website that allegedly confirms the conclusion no longer works, and sources listed directly on the infographic are illegible.
I attempted to contact the GHC to get access to the foundation of their claim — since this organization seems to be the only primary source of the information — but I received a bounce-back email saying that the GHC’s contact information listed on its website is not valid.
Simply put, it’s unclear if this startling statistic about what might be lingering on our cutting boards is true. Reputable academics, organizations, and media outlets have cited it, but I am unable to find the original study and data that can confirm the exact number of “200 times more bacteria.” It’s also likely that even if true, this fact isn’t as scary as it initially sounds.
All raw meat has bacteria present, and some of this bacteria may come from an animal’s intestinal tract, qualifying it as fecal bacteria. So if cutting boards do have 200 times more fecal bacteria than a toilet seat, that’s not because home cooks are refusing to wash their hands after using the restroom — it’s from cooking raw meat, and not properly cleaning your cutting board afterwards.
Regardless of whether you believe that a toilet seat is cleaner than your cutting board, or even if you don’t cook meat at home, there is plenty of research that confirms a kitchen is one of the places with the most bacteria in your household. Luckily, armed with a few easy tips and pieces of information, you can work to prevent unnecessary contamination.
Why do cutting boards have bacteria?
Either raw meat or fresh fruits and vegetables can transfer bacteria to your cutting board. If you’re washing your cutting board with only warm water, then you’re not effectively getting rid of any pathogens. So if you just slice some fresh produce, you still need to thoroughly clean the surface.
When you chop on a cutting board, the knife may leave behind small grooves, even when they’re not visible to the naked eye. These indentations are what harbor bacteria, and once your board becomes especially worn in, washing with soap and hot water still might not eliminate all of the bacteria inside the many grooves. To prevent this, it’s best to replace your cutting board if it starts looking well-weathered or has lots of clear cuts in it.
What type of cutting board is cleanest?
People have previously claimed that wooden cutting boards are less hygienic than plastic, because wood is a more porous material — on the other hand, wood does have naturally antimicrobial properties, raising the question of which option is better for cooking. A 2015 study from the Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety compared the surfaces, including two different types of wood, ultimately concluding there were “no significant differences in microbiological counts on wooden and plastic cutting boards after proper cleaning.”
There are cutting boards that are much more difficult to scratch, like glass, stone, and bamboo. But the reason they’re more durable is because they’re so hard, and this same property will quickly dull your knives. Glass in particular is dangerous, because the surface is so smooth it can make a knife slip. Your best bet is to go with either plastic or wood, ensure you clean the cutting board properly, and replace ones that are worn out.
The vegetarian’s turkey
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