Amy Jones, Human Sciences Specialist, Food and Health
The most wonderful time of the year is already here. Some of us stay home for Thanksgiving; others travel to visit relatives or friends. Regardless of the destination, one thing that does not change is that food is always part of the celebration.
Amy Jones, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Food and Health Field Specialist, recommends these food safety tips to ensure the food you prepare for your friends and family is safe and your holiday season won’t be remembered for the wrong reason – food poisoning.
Holiday Food Safety ‘To Do’ List for Cooking and Traveling
Let’s start our ‘to do’ list with USDA’s four steps to food safety: CLEAN, SEPARATE, COOK and CHILL.

• Clean your hands for 20 seconds with soapy water. Always serve food on clean plates and avoid reusing plates that previously held raw meat and poultry.
• Separate raw and cooked foods so you don’t cross contaminate.
• Cook using a food thermometer to make sure food reaches a safe minimum internal temperature.
• Chill leftovers within two hours of cooking. Keep track of how long items have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything that has been out longer than two hours.
  Reminders for Thanksgiving Turkey

1. Do not defrost your turkey on the kitchen counter. Even though the center of the package may still be frozen, the outer layer of the food is in the “Danger Zone” between 40° and 140° F — a temperature where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly. You can safely thaw a turkey using the following methods:

• Refrigerator Thawing: When thawing in a fridge, allow roughly 24 hours for every four to five pounds of turkey. After thawing, a turkey is safe in a refrigerator for one to two days.
• Cold Water Thawing: When thawing in a cold-water bath, allow 30 minutes per pound and submerge the turkey in its original wrapping to avoid cross-contamination. Change the water every half hour until the turkey is thawed. Cook it immediately after thawing.

1. Do not cook your turkey overnight at a low temperature: It is not safe to cook any meat or poultry in an oven set lower than 325° F. Cook your turkey at 325° F or above and ensure all parts of the turkey reach a safe internal temperature of 165° F.
   If you have questions about cooking turkey, call AnswerLine at 800-262-3804, open 9 a.m.-12 noon, 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; or the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. On Thanksgiving Day, the Hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
   If you are invited to a holiday party and plan to bring your famous holiday dish or if you are traveling to visit relatives or friends, be sure to keep hot foods hot (140°F or above), by carrying them in insulated containers. If you’re transporting cold food, keep it cold (40°F or below), by carrying it with cold sources such as ice or frozen gel packs. The best way to ensure that food is being held at a safe temperature while you are traveling is to pack and use an appliance thermometer in the cooler.
   Adapted from USDA: https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/11/13/keep-risky-habits-out-kitchen-thanksgiving and FSIS https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/lets-talk-turkey-roasting.