Celebrate the season safely

Whatever your family’s holiday traditions, they are sure to involve large quantities of food. With all that food come safety risks. Here are a few tips to make sure your family has a safe holiday season.

Turkey safety

While it may make the process move more quickly, it is not safe to leave your bird out of the refrigerator to defrost overnight. Plan to defrost in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds of bird. Alternately, defrost your bird in a cold water bath. Change the water every 30 minutes and allow for 30 minutes for every pound. Turkeys, especially large ones, can take a long time to cook so make sure you allow plenty of time for your bird to be fully and completely cooked. To find out of the turkey is done, use a meat thermometer to check the thickest part of bird, at the thigh, wing and breast. The internal temperature should be 165۫. If you have stuffed your bird, check it to make sure the stuffing has reached 165۫ as well. If your turkey comes with a popup thermometer, double check it’s done by using a meat thermometer.

Christmas cookies

The Christmas season is not complete without holiday cookies. Make sure you and your children are not consuming uncooked cookie dough. If you have a family member that simply can’t resist uncooked cookie dough, buy commercial dough, which is made with pasteurized eggs.

Holiday drinks

Make sure that you take especial care when choosing which holiday drink to indulge in. Avoid unpasteurized apple cider. Also avoid homemade eggnog which can contain undercooked eggs. If you’re going to make eggnog, FDA recommends starting with a cooked egg base (which has been heated to 160 degrees as measured with a cooking thermometer) or using pasteurized eggs. An even safer bet is the eggnog you can buy at the grocery store, which is pasteurized.

Storing leftovers

Make sure that all leftovers are put in the refrigerator within two hours. For most efficient cooling, store large amounts of leftovers in several smaller containers. Make sure containers are sealed and keep for 3-4 days.

From everyone here at NCL, we hope you have a happy holiday season free from foodborne illness.