Turkey safe food handling tips including safe storage, shelf life, refrigeration, cooking, stuffing, avoiding cross-contamination, and more.

Today's turkey products are cleaner, safer, and more wholesome than ever before. When thoroughly cooked and handled properly, there is no risk of becoming ill. However, as with all meat and poultry, improper handling of raw turkey products could result in foodborne illness. This section should help you avoid that possibility.

All raw food products, including meat, poultry, fruits, and vegetables have microscopic bacteria on their surfaces. When handled correctly, the microbes are in such small numbers that common-sense cooking and handling procedures take care of them, and we never know the difference. Thorough cooking nearly always destroys them. However, if food is handled improperly when raw or after cooking, the bacteria can multiply to the point where they can cause illness.

Preventing food-borne illness is simple. If you follow four simple rules you are very unlikely to ever have a problem.

1. First, buy a reliable meat thermometer and learn how to use it to check your food. For just a few dollars you can get a high quality thermometer with a long metal stem. This is the best kind. Make sure it's calibrated correctly: When left standing in ice water for about 5 minutes it should read 32 degrees F. You can adjust it easily by turning the nut just under the head of the thermometer until it gives the correct reading. Repeat this calibration every few months.




2. Keep all foods at proper temperatures. Keep cold food cold and hot food hot. Avoid leaving any food, cooked or uncooked, out at room temperature any longer than necessary. Bacteria multiply fast between 40 and 140 degrees F.

   When shopping, buy your refrigerated and frozen foods last, and take them home immediately. Make sure there are no holes or tears in the packaging. Vacuum-packed products should still have a tight vacuum.

   Keep frozen foods at 0 degrees F or lower. (Tip: if ice cream in your freezer stays hard, it's plenty cold. If not, adjust the temperature down.) Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or microwave - never at room temperature!

   Keep refrigerated products below 40 degrees F. (Tip: Keep your refrigerator temperature just above the point where your lettuce freezes.) Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers immediately after the meal.

   If you have to hold hot foods, keep them at 140 degrees F or more. (Tip: If the food is too hot to hold your finger on it for more than a few seconds, it's probably hot enough.)




3. Cook the food thoroughly. Cook it quickly and all at once - not part now, part later. Products to be roasted should be cooked at 325 degrees F. Turkey should be cooked to 180 degrees F (internal temperature) to make sure every area in the meat has reached a temperature high enough to destroy the bacteria. (Tips: Turkey parts, steaks, ground turkey, etc. are thoroughly cooked when the white meat is no longer pink or when the juices run clear. For whole turkeys and bone-in breasts rely on the pop-up Tender-Timer®. It will pop up when the turkey is done.)

   Extra care is required for turkey stuffing. The best way is to not stuff the turkey, but cook the stuffing separately. However, if you are stuffing the turkey, follow these suggestions: Don't stuff it until just before it goes into the oven. Allow extra time, about 1/2 to 1 hour longer, to roast the turkey. The temperature deep inside the stuffing should be at least 165 degrees F. Remove the stuffing immediately after roasting.

   Reheat leftover stuffing to at least 165 degrees F. Leftover gravy should be heated quickly to a rolling boil before serving.




4. Avoid cross-contamination. Don't let bacteria from raw products get on cooked products or other foods that are ready to eat. Completely wash your hands, cutting boards, knives, utensils, counters, etc. with hot soapy water after handling raw meat or poultry and before handling any other foods. Don't use the same plate to carry cooked food from the grill that you used to carry the raw food out. Don't let juices from raw meat or poultry come in contact with any other food or surfaces used to handle other food. Don't use the same knife used to cut raw meat or poultry to slice vegetables, unless it has been thoroughly washed.

The USDA now requires a safe food handling statement printed on packages of all raw meat and poultry products. This mandatory statement summarizes some of the suggestions given above.

Cooked and cured products like turkey ham, oven-roasted or smoked turkey breast, turkey salami, etc. are fully cooked and ready to eat. But be sure you refrigerate them properly. They should generally be used or frozen within seven days of purchase, or within three days of opening the package. Like any other meat or poultry product, they should never be held at room temperature for longer than is necessary.

Following all these suggestions is simple, takes very little extra time, and is well worth the extra effort to feel confident all your food is wholesome, safe, and delicious.