Tips to Prepare Turkey Safely

Suggested Anchor Introduction

Cooking that turkey safely should be at the top of your Thanksgiving meal preparation list. New Mexico State University's Anna María Pérez-Wright has tips for safe turkey handling.

Story

Click to Listen:

The last thing anyone wants to serve up with a holiday meal is a food-borne illness. Doña Ana County home economist Jennifer Hopper with New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service says to make sure the turkey you serve is prepared safely, defrost over several days in the refrigerator. Before cooking the bird, wash it.

"You need to rinse all the poultry under cold running water, rubbing all over the surfaces, inside and out to wash away any bacteria."

The next step, she says, is to avoid cross-contamination.

"Any surface that comes in contact with raw poultry, your knives, your cutting boards, counter tops, dish towels, sinks, et cetera, they need to be washed with hot, soapy water before you use them again. Don't cut your turkey with a knife, and then turn around and use it for something else. Bacteria transfers easily from one surface to the next."

A final rule for safe cooking is to keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold. Store both cooked and uncooked foods properly and never leave them at room temperature for longer than two hours. For N-M-S-U's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, I'm Anna María Pérez-Wright.