The U.S. Department of Agriculture is getting ready to field thousands of calls to its “meat and poultry hotline” from people who need help preparing their Thanksgiving dinner.
The hotline has been helping struggling cooks for about 30 years. It’s staffed by six people who will take calls from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST on Thanksgiving day, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the days leading up to the holiday.
“Last November they received more than 3,000 calls mostly about Thanksgiving dinner,” USDA said.
USDA offers some basic tips online, including how to put a meat thermometer into the bird, how to make sure a minimum temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit is reached, and how to then take the turkey out of the oven. But last year, nearly 1,000 people called in on Thanksgiving Day to hear a pre-recorded message offering cooking tips, and more than 300 people called the hotline to talk to an agent.
Almost 25,000 people viewed questions online about their turkey dilemma, and USDA got 14 emails with questions.
USDA said the top question viewed online last year was, “How long do you cook a turkey in an oven cooking bag?” Nearly 17,000 people had that question.
Other questions were, “What should I do if the turkey is done too soon?” and “Should I roast my turkey breast side up or down?”
USDA warned that people risk illness if they don’t handle their turkeys correctly.
“Unsafe handling and undercooking of your turkey can lead to serious foodborne illness,” said Al Almanza, USDA deputy under secretary for food safety. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has a variety of food safety resources to help with any questions related to preparing Thanksgiving dinner, including our Meat and Poultry Hotline that will be staffed will helpful experts on Thanksgiving Day.”
The hotline number is 1-888-674-6854.
