Thanksgiving Food Prep & Storage Safety Tips

Turkey time is here, but nothing can put a damper on Thanksgiving faster than food poisoning! An estimated 76 million cases of food poisoning occur in the U.S. each year, according to the FDA, and many of these cases occur during the holiday season. Prepping and storing food a few days ahead of time, making a lot of food at once causing cross-contamination between raw meats and other foods, and under-cooking due to lack of time are all culprits when it comes to Thanksgiving tummy troubles.

These safety tips will help you and your loved ones enjoy all the yumminess of Thanksgiving without any yuckiness!

• All food prep surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly before use.
• Separate cooked and raw foods. Use different knives and chopping surfaces to prepare raw meats.
• Nail down how many guests you will have and buy the right size turkey for that number. If the turkey is too big, it can take hours, even days, to thaw and cook, leading to possible under-cooking.
• Avoid food poisoning by cooking all meats to a minimum internal temperature of 185 degrees.
• After handling raw foods, wash your hands to kill harmful bacteria. Also clean your counter-tops, kitchen sink, utensils, and anything else that might have come into contact with raw turkey or meat.
• If you are preparing stuffing, make it outside of the bird. You can then stuff the cooked bird or serve it alongside the turkey in a separate dish.
• If you are cooking for people you don't know very well, be sure to ask about food allergies. If anyone does have an allergy, either change up your recipes where needed or keep the allergen at a safe distance from your guest with food sensitivities. Label the dish clearly to ensure no one eats something they shouldn't.
• Once your food is prepared, chill it immediately unless you will be serving it within the hour.

So you followed all of these tips, had a delicious, safe Thanksgiving meal with family and friends, but now what do you do with all of the leftovers? Are they still okay to eat? If you refrigerate them, how long are they okay?