Stay safe this Thanksgiving with some food safety dos and don’ts.
Updated: November 25, 2024
As many of us prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, here are some important food safety tips to ensure everyone enjoys a healthy and safe holiday.
Food safety dos
- Cook your turkey to an internal temperature of 165ºF at the thickest part of the bird and confirm the temperature with a meat thermometer.
- Learn how to safely cook your turkey whether you roast, deep fry, or even microwave your bird. You don’t want to accidentally burn your house down with a deep fryer or smoker mishap!
- Refrigerate leftover turkey within 2 hours after it’s finished cooking and throw away leftover turkey after 2-4 days or sooner if it was left out longer. The USDA has created a free, easy-to-use app to help you know the expiration date of all leftovers.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat.
- Use soap and water or another kitchen cleaner to wipe down surfaces that came in contact with the raw turkey.
- Rinse your vegetables and fruits before using them in recipes or eating them raw.
Food safety don’ts
- Don’t wash your turkey before cooking it as this rinsing process can cause bacteria to spread to other surfaces.
- Don’t share cutting boards or utensils used for preparing the raw turkey with other foods. Always wash your cutting boards and utensils before using them to make another dish.
- Don’t accidentally cross-contaminate the countertop and other surfaces after handling raw turkey.
- Don’t defrost your turkey on the countertop, instead, follow the USDA-approved defrosting approaches.
- It’s safest not to consume the stuffing that’s been cooked inside of the raw turkey. However, if you do choose to eat this stuffing ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
The good news.
You can have a safe and wonderful holiday with some preparation and attention to food safety best practices. And, if you find yourself needing a food safety expert to answer a question, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is free and takes questions year-round, even on Thanksgiving! You can reach them at 888-MPHotline, email MPHotline@usda.gov, or chat live at ask.usda.gov.
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Have a wonderful holiday.
Learn more: citations and further readings.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food safety. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/index.html
Food Safety and Inspection Service. Happy Thanksgiving. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/happy-thanksgiving
Food Safety and Inspection Service. Turkey: Alternate routes to the table. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/turkey-alternate-routes-table
U.S. Department of Agriculture. To wash or not to wash your turkey. USDA Blog. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/11/21/wash-or-not-wash-your-turkey
U.S. Department of Agriculture. How to safely thaw a turkey. USDA Blog. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2016/11/18/how-safely-thaw-turkey
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thanksgiving leftovers: Safe keeping for weekend grazing. USDA Blog. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/11/23/thanksgiving-leftovers-safe-keeping-weekend-grazing