Food safety experts says Thanksgiving is by far the busiest meal of the year to prepare and it's also a time where you could make family and friends sick with a food borne illness.
Amy Springer of the Vilas County Health Department says there are some simple things to help keep anyone from illness..
"....make sure everything you cook is cooked to the proper temperature. The biggest item on your table probably is your turkey. Cooking that to 165 degrees in the largest part of the turkey is the safest and most efficient way to know it is done. Take a stem thermometer and probing that in the thickest part and usually that's the thigh. If you're stuffing the bird, make sure the stuffing is also 165...."
Springer says many people make a mistake in prepping the bird...
".....you don't want to wash your turkey in the sink. You can spread bacteria by splashing water over your countertops and into your sink. You also want to make sure you buy your turkey early enough in advance and thaw it in the refrigerator. You don't want to thaw your turkey on your countertop as that could increase your chance of food borne illness by having the turkey sit at room temperature...."
Also be very careful and follow the manufacturers directions for deep frying a turkey. Amy Springer says stick to the two hour rule when done. She says foods that spoil easily should not be left out for more than two hours. If the food falls to between 40 and 140 degrees it could spur the growth of bacteria. Get foods into the refrigerator as soon as possible and don't keep leftovers more than four days.
More information is at the website foodsafety. gov
