Turkey Tips for Safety

Is Your Holiday Turkey In Jeopardy?

Over the years, the USDA’s staff on the Meat and Poultry Hotline have faced many challenges trying to save Thanksgiving turkeys that have been prepared in questionable ways. “It’s difficult to advise consumers on Thanksgiving Day that the turkey they have worked so hard to serve, may not be safe to eat” says Susan Templin Conley, who is the Hotline Director.

According to Conley, there are six basic problems that Hotline staff members hear every year. Are you unknowingly creating any of these scenarios?

Mistake #1 Defrosting at Room Temperature

“We’ve always done it that way...There’s no room in the refrigerator...We forgot it was in the trunk of the car...It’s in a cold basement.” While there are many reasons why consumers find themselves with turkeys defrosted at room temperature, some planned and some unplanned, the result is the same---a potentially unsafe turkey. Bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature. Bacteria will begin to grow on the outside portion of the bird that defrosts first. Using your sense of sight, smell, or taste is not enough because the bacteria are microscopic. They can multiply to dangerously high levels that cooking may not destroy.

Instead: Plan on 1 day of refrigerator defrost time for every 5 pounds of turkey. A 10 pound turkey will take approximately 2 days to defrost in the refrigerator, a 15 pound turkey 3 days and a 20 pound turkey 4 days.

Some callers worry that a frozen turkey will spoil if left in the refrigerator for 4 days. Don’t be concerned. Even after a turkey fully defrosts, it is safe in the refrigerator for an additional 1-2 days.

If you forget to take your turkey out of the freezer early enough, don’t panic. You’re not in hot water yet, especially if you remember to use the COLD WATER technique. Even a 20 pound frozen turkey can be defrosted in 10 hours using the cold water defrost method. Submerge the wrapped bird in cold water, adding ice or new cold water every 30 minutes

Mistake #2 Pre-stuffing a Turkey The Night Before

It’s okay to pre-stuff Christmas stockings, but not Thanksgiving birds! Stuffing a turkey the night before is risky business. The cavity of the bird actually insulates the stuffing from cold temperatures, and can keep the stuffing in a temperature range that encourages bacterial growth.

Instead: Prepare dry stuffing ingredients the day before. Tightly cover and leave at room temperature. The perishables - butter, or margarine, mushrooms, oysters, cooked celery and onion broth should be refrigerated. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stuff the bird immediately before the turkey goes into the oven.

Mistake #3 Cooking At Low Temperature Overnight

Every year Hotline staff members worry about “how low consumers will go” when it comes to oven temperature settings. On Thanksgiving Day in 1990, Hotline staff talked with numerous families who calmly slept the night away while bacteria were busily multiplying on their turkeys in 200 degrees F ovens. Cooking below 325 degrees F is unsafe because low temperatures permit the bird (and stuffing) to remain in the “danger zone” (41 degrees F - 140 degrees F) too long. While in this “zone” bacteria can grow and some produce heat resistant toxins.

Instead: Cook perishable foods at an oven temperature no lower than 325 degrees F.

Mistake #4 Partially Cooking a Bird The Day Before

Some time-savers are safer than others. Partially cooking a turkey is not one of them. Interrupted cooking can actually increase the possibility of bacterial growth. The turkey may be heated long enough to inactivate bacterial growth, but not long enough to kill it.

Instead: Cook the turkey completely in one operation. Several other ideas for SAFE time saving include: 1) Using oven cooking bags, 2) Baking stuffing separately form the turkey, 3) Cooking and carving turkey 1-2 days before the holiday, and storing it in the refrigerator for reheating on the big day.

Mistake #5 Cooking A Turkey Ahead of Time and Leaving It Whole In The Refrigerator.

Cooking the turkey a day or two before the holiday is fine, but refrigerating the bird whole, without carving, is another form of turkey jeopardy. A cooked turkey, stuffed or unstuffed, is too big and dense to cook down quickly and efficiently in a home refrigerator. In addition, reheating the turkey the next day in a slow oven to prevent drying out could allow even more growth of potential food poisoning bacteria.

Instead: Roast the turkey 1 or 2 days before the holiday. Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the bird reaches 180 degrees F. Remove stuffing immediately after taking the bird out of the oven. Allow the turkey to sit for 20 to 30 minutes so that the meat juices can settle. Carve the bird into appropriate serving slices and place in shallow baking pans. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat Thanksgiving Day in a conventional oven or microwave. Make sure that meat and stuffing are reheated to “steamy hot”, 165 degrees F.

Mistake #6 Power Failure

The oven broke down... an ice storm downed power lines... there’s no gas for the gas grill. You can’t keep your bird hot...or you can’t keep your bird cold. These unplanned situations do arise through the fault of no one. Besides causing anxiety and stress, they can also lead to an unsafe bird.

Solution: Time is of the essence. If your bird has been in any of these situations for over 2 hours, your turkey could become risky. After 2 hours the turkey enters the “danger zone” where food poisoning bacteria can multiply rapidly. But to discuss your unique situation, call one of the food experts on the Meat and Poultry Hotline.

USDA’ MEAT AND POULTRY HOTLINE: Answers questions on the safe storage and handling of meat, poultry and other perishable foods. Normal hours are 10 am to 4 pm weekdays, Eastern Time. On Thanksgiving Day, the lines will operate 8 am to 2 pm, call 1-888-674-6854. You can also send an email to mphotline@fsis@usda.gov