Precautions must be taken when preparing turkey and holiday meals in order to prevent food poisoning.
Here is some advice for safely thawing, cooking and storing turkey, other poultry and dishes prepared for the occasion.
Thawing
As with all foods, poultry should not be thawed at room temperature. Bacteria can grow quickly in these conditions. There is no guarantee that cooking will eliminate all dangers associated with bacterial growth.
Thawing poultry in the refrigerator, at temperatures between 0ºC and 4ºC, is always the safest method. The meat must be placed in a container to prevent its juices from coming into contact with other foods.
In general, it takes around 24 hours to defrost a 3 kg turkey. Add one more day for each additional 2 kg.
You can also thaw turkey in cold water. Just put your turkey in a plastic bag and submerge. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. It will take at least one hour per kilogram to thaw completely.
In some cases, you can also thaw turkey in the oven as it cooks. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging.
Cooking
Do not rinse the turkey before cooking, as this can lead to contamination issues.
Cook the turkey at 165°C (330°F) or higher.
Cooking time can be estimated by calculating 45 minutes per kilogram of raw, defrosted turkey.
Internal temperature
Use a meat thermometer to determine whether the turkey is cooked.
Whole poultry – the internal temperature must reach 82°C (180°F)
Breast – the internal temperature must reach 74°C (165°F)
Do not slow cook at temperatures under 165°C (330°F). Some parts of the turkey or stuffing will spend too much time in the danger zone between 4°C and 60°C, which promotes bacterial growth.
Stuffing
Cook the stuffing separately from the turkey. Let your stuffing cool in the refrigerator and stuff the turkey immediately before cooking.
Do not stuff the turkey the day before you cook it, as this promotes microbial growth.
Storage
Cooked turkey should be refrigerated as soon as possible.
Bone the turkey and put the leftovers into small containers in the refrigerator.
Use refrigerated leftovers within three to four days. If you are not planning to use them within this time, store them in the freezer.
Turkey storage life
Turkey and other poultry
Refrigerator between 0°C and 4°C
Freezer at -18°C or lower
Whole turkey
1-3 days
10-12 months
Turkey pieces
1-2 days
6-9 months
Cooked turkey (no gravy)
3-4 days
1-3 months
Cooked turkey (with gravy)
1-2 days
6 months
Holiday meals
Food poisoning can be more common around the holidays. Take precautions if you are serving a buffet or transporting cooked meal items.
Preparing buffets and serving meals
Serve smaller, more frequent portions of food to your guests instead of larger portions. Place cold dishes on a bed of crushed ice and keep hot dishes on food warmers, on hot plates or in slow cookers.
When food stays at room temperature for more than two hours, bacteria can multiply and cause food poisoning. As with leftovers, promptly cool cooked food by putting it into the refrigerator in small containers.
Once the meal is over, store any leftovers you want to keep in the refrigerator. Any food that has been left at room temperature for too long should be discarded after the meal.
Transporting food
Bringing a dish to a gathering? Make sure to do it safely.
Put hot dishes in insulated containers or wrap them in aluminum foil. Keep them at a temperature above 60°C (140°F).
For cold dishes, use a cooler filled with ice or ice packs. Make sure that the temperature inside the cooler stays under 4°C.
