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Click here to download information about the Comforts pacifier recall (PDF format)
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| Basic Rules | Bruised Turkeys | Pink Turkey Meat | Refrigerator Thawing | Cold Water Thawing | Microwave Thawing | Safe Cooking |
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BELOW ARE FOUR BASIC FOOD SAFETY RULES
1. CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often. Keep everything clean while preparing holiday meals. Wash hands and kitchen surfaces often with soap and water. Wash cutting boards, dishes, and utensils after preparing each food item and before going on to the next item. Paper towels are recommended for cleaning up kitchen surfaces.
2. SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate. Because that's when bacteria can spread from one food to another. This is especially true when handling meats and ready-to-eat foods that don't need further preparation. Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods when shopping at the grocery store and in your refrigerator. Use one cutting board for raw meat and poultry and a separate one for other food. Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat and poultry unless the plate has been thoroughly cleaned.
3. COOK: Cook to proper temperatures. Use a food thermometer to make sure meat and poultry are cooked to proper temperatures. Do not second-guess the internal temperature of cooked foods. Cook whole poultry to 180 ºF in the thigh. When reheating, leftovers should be thoroughly heated to 165 ºF; sauces, soup, and gravy should be brought to a rolling boil. Eggs are safe to use in food such as homemade eggnog or Caesar salad as long as egg mixtures are cooked to 160 ºF. Use a food thermometer to make sure the mixture has reached the proper temperature.
4. CHILL: Refrigerate promptly. Conley reminds consumers to refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours. Place leftovers into shallow containers for rapid cooling. The refrigerator should be maintained at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below. Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature. Keep hot foods hot, 140 ºF or above, and cold foods cold, 40 ºF or below. This is especially true for holiday buffets. Use chafing dishes, crock pots, and warming trays to keep foods hot. Keep cold foods cold by nesting the serving dishes in bowls of ice. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold water bath, or in the microwave. Marinate foods in the refrigerator.
BRUISED TURKEYS
USDA states that if a turkey is bruised in a small area, it is safe to eat. If the turkey is severely bruised return it to the store. The bruised area will be darker after roasting.
IS PINK TURKEY MEAT SAFE?
The color pink in cooked turkey meat raises a red flag to many diners and cooks. Conditioned to be wary of pink in fresh pork, they question the safety of cooked poultry and other meats that have a rosy blush.
Numerous callers to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline report being alarmed when seeing "pink." To them, it means "unsafe" or "under-done."
The color of cooked meat and pountry is not always a sure sign of doneness. ONLY BY USING A MEAT THERMOMETER CAN ONE ACCURATELY DETERMINE THAT A MEAT HAS REACHED A SAFE TEMPERATURE. Turkey, fresh pork, ground beef or veal can remain pink even after cooking to temperatures of 160 degrees F and higher. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink.
Content provided by United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and reviewed by Kroger Nutritional Staff.
"The Big Thaw"
Turkeys must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. While frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely. However, if the turkey is allowed to thaw at a temperature above 40 ºF, any harmful bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to grow again unless proper thawing methods are used.
A package of frozen meat or poultry thawing on the counter longer than 2 hours is not safe. 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 ºF -- a temperature range where harmful bacteria multiply rapidly.
There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave oven.
Thawing Frozen Turkeys
Immediately after grocery store checkout, take the frozen turkey home and store it in the freezer until ready to use. Frozen turkeys should not be thawed on the back porch, in the car trunk, in the basement or on the kitchen counter.
Note: Turkeys purchased stuffed and frozen with the USDA or state mark of inspection on the packaging are safe because they have been processed under controlled conditions. These turkeys should not be thawed before cooking. Follow package directions for handling.
REFRIGERATOR THAWING
When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator, plan ahead. For every 5 pounds of turkey, allow approximately 24 hours of thawing time in a refrigerator set at 40 ºF.
Refrigerator Thawing Times (Whole turkey)
08 to 12 pounds: 1 to 2 days
12 to 16 pounds: 2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds: 3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds: 4 to 5 days
Foods thawed in the refrigerator can be safely refrozen without cooking, though there may be some loss of quality.
COLD WATER THAWING
Allow about 30 minutes per pound when thawing a turkey in cold water. Be sure the turkey is in leak-proof packaging. Tissues can absorb water like a sponge, resulting in a watery product.
Submerge the turkey in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed.
Cold Water Thawing Times
08 to 12 pounds: 4 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds: 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds: 8 to 10 hourss
20 to 24 pounds: 10 to 12 hours
Turkeys thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately because conditions were not temperature controlled.
MICROWAVE THAWING
Follow the manufacturer's instructions when thawing a turkey in the microwave oven. A 12 to 14 pound turkey is the maximum size most microwave ovens can accommodate. Plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the turkey may become warm and begin to cook during microwave thawing.
Content provided by United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and reviewed by Kroger Nutritional Staff.
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| SAFE COOKING |
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Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe?
The color PINK in cooked turkey meat raises a "red flag" to many diners and cooks. Conditioned to be wary of pink in fresh pork, they question the safety of cooked poultry and other meats that have a rosy blush.
Numerous callers to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline report being alarmed when seeing "pink." To them, it means "unsafe" or "under-done."
"I cooked my turkey until done according to the directions, but when I sliced the breast meat, it was still pink near the bone," said an Oklahoma caller. Is it safe?"
"We had a big family argument at Thanksgiving dinner. Aunt Mildred wouldn't eat the turkey because it looked pink," reported the beleaguered cook from a Wisconsin family.
The color of cooked meat and poultry is not always a sure sign of its degree of doneness. Only by using a meat thermometer can one accurately determine that a meat has reached a safe temperature. Turkey, fresh pork, ground beef or veal can remain pink even after cooking to temperatures of 160°F and higher. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink.
To understand some of the causes of "pinking" or "pinkening" in fresh turkey, it's important to know first what gives meat its natural color.
Why is Poultry Lighter in Color Than Beef?
The protein myoglobin is the major pigment found in all vertebrates and can exist in various forms which determine the resulting meat color. The major reason that poultry meat is much lighter in color than beef is that it is dramatically lower in myoglobin. Also, as an animal becomes older, its myoglobin content usually increases. Turkeys today are young -- 14 to 18 weeks old at the time of slaughter.
Why Are White and Dark Meat of Poultry Different Colors?
The pink, red or white coloration of meat is due primarily to oxygen-storing myoglobin which is located in the muscle cells and retains the oxygen brought by the blood until the cells need it. To some extent, oxygen use can be related to the bird's general level of activity: muscles that are exercised frequently and strenuously -- such as the legs -- need more oxygen, and they have a greater storage capacity than muscles needing little oxygen. Turkeys do a lot of standing around, but little if any flying, so their wing and breast muscles are white; their legs, dark.
Bruised Turkeys
USDA states that if a turkey is bruised in a small area it is safe to eat. If the turkey is severely bruised return it to the store. The bruised area will be darker after roasting.
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