Safety should be on the menu

Nov. 15--COVID or not, Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and it doesn't change the fact that many people will still be preparing turkeys this year.

According to the USDA, Americans will prepare more than 40 million turkeys this Thanksgiving season.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is offering food safety advice to help reduce food-borne illness on Thanksgiving Day.

Those steps include: Washing your hands to control the spread of germs.

Thawing the turkey is another safety step as frozen turkeys should never be thawed on the counter or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.

Avoiding cross-contamination is crucial as the USDA found that 60 percent of kitchen sinks were contaminated with germs after participants washed or rinsed poultry.

The USDA also does not recommend stuffing the turkey for optimal safety and recommends cooking the turkey to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

To ensure that food stays safe to eat through the weekend, all perishable items should be refrigerated within two hours of when they finished cooking and leftovers should be stored in small, shallow containers in the refrigerator until the Monday after Thanksgiving Day.

For other questions, visit FoodSafety.gov or follow USDA'sFood Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Twitter at @USDAFoodSafety or on Facebook at Facebook.com/FoodSafety.gov.

___

(c)2020 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas)

Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.