No one wants to serve up food poisoning during their Thanksgiving meal, but not following food safety recommendations is an easy way to give your guests a holiday illness they will not forget.
Nearly 10 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 53,000 people are hospitalized, and approximately 1,000 die annually due to food poisoning.
While federal public health agencies do not collect data on the exact number of cases of food poisoning caused by Thanksgiving meals, reports of such cases tend to increase around the holidays.
About 5.5 million cases labeled as food poisoning each year are cases of norovirus, typically called the “stomach flu,” that causes flu-like vomiting and diarrhea that develop 12 to 48 hours after exposure. Norovirus is spread person-to-person, oftentimes through food preparation.
The other roughly 4.4 million foodborne illness cases each year are caused by bacteria in food due to improper handling during food preparation.
Here is everything you need to know about avoiding infecting your guests during Thanksgiving.
Turkey thawing is a must
Thawing a turkey can be a time-consuming process, depending on the bird’s size, but it is an important step to avoid food poisoning.
The least labor-intensive way to thaw a turkey is to remove it from the freezer and keep it in the refrigerator until it is completely thawed, allowing for roughly 24 hours of thaw time for each four to five pounds of meat. If you choose to thaw in the refrigerator, it’s important to rest the bird on a cookie sheet or other type of pan to prevent the drippings from contaminating other food.
It’s also possible to thaw a turkey using cold water. Ensure the turkey is in a leakproof plastic bag to prevent juices from spreading throughout the kitchen. Then, cover the turkey with cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Fridge-thawed turkeys can be cooked one to two days after thawing, but water-thawed meat should be cooked immediately after thawing, according to the CDC.
Don’t wash your turkey
The CDC also strongly suggests not washing turkeys and other poultry products, as germs on the birds can spread to other foods.
Federal agencies stopped recommending washing poultry products in 2005, but a 2020 survey found that 8 in 10 Americans still wash their turkeys or chickens before cooking.
“Old recipes and family cooking traditions may tell you to keep this practice going, but it can make you and your family sick,” the CDC website says. “Poultry juice can spread in the kitchen and contaminate other foods, utensils, and countertops.”
If you choose to wash your raw poultry, be sure to immediately sanitize the sink, counters, and surrounding areas.
Ins and outs of stuffing
Neither the CDC nor the Agriculture Department recommends cooking stuffing inside a turkey due to the possibility of contamination. According to the USDA, cooking stuffing inside a turkey is significantly riskier because it’s harder to ensure the stuffing reaches the proper temperature to kill off harmful bacteria.
“Even if the turkey itself has reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured in the innermost part of the thigh, the wing and the thickest part of the breast, the stuffing may not have reached a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria that may be present,” the USDA website page on stuffing safety says.
The safest way to cook stuffing is in a separate casserole dish. However, if you choose to cook your stuffing inside the turkey, the CDC recommends waiting an additional 20 minutes after removing the bird from the oven to allow the stuffing to cook for a bit longer.
Raw dough is a no
No one wants food poisoning for dessert, and eating raw dough or batter is an often-overlooked way to get sick.
Raw or undercooked eggs are a main culprit for carrying salmonella, the deadliest of the seven most common foodborne illness pathogens tracked by the CDC. However, raw flour also carries salmonella and E. coli, and these germs are only killed once flour is baked or cooked.
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“Steps like grinding grain and bleaching flour don’t kill harmful germs — and these germs can end up in flour or baking mixes you buy at the store,” the CDC advises. “You can get sick if you eat unbaked dough or batter made with flour containing germs.”
The CDC recommends avoiding tasting raw dough or batter for cookies, brownies, cakes, pie crusts, bread, and other treats made with raw flour with or without eggs.
