Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture.

Won't be long now until the house is filled with wonderful aromas and great friends. And all it takes for a safe Thanksgiving dinner is proper food handling, preparation, and storage, according to Susan Kendrick of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The centerpiece of the big meal is the holiday turkey, which, if it's a frozen bird, should not just sit out on the counter to thaw.

KENDRICK: What we'd like you to do is put it in the refrigerator and- you are going to have to plan ahead- it takes about 24 hours for every five pounds of turkey to thaw. So if you have a big turkey, you probably need to put it in the refrigerator four or five days ahead of time.

Cook the turkey to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and use a meat thermometer to make sure. Also be aware of cross-contamination. Use separate cutting boards, knives, and other utensils when you handle raw foods along with ready-to-eat-foods. After the feast, there no doubt will be leftovers.

KENDRICK: Well, it's good to get it back in the refrigerator as soon as possible and, most typically, to take the meat off the bone so you don't have a large chunk of meat that you are trying to rapidly cool in the refrigerator. Then put it in shallow pans and make sure that the temperature comes down as quickly as possible.

Good techniques and common sense will ensure a safe and satisfying meal for family and friends this holiday season. Kendrick says the holidays are a good time to be extra careful about proper food handling and preparation.

That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.