Make sure you fully cook any turkey you’re making over the holidays, so you don’t accidentally give your family the gift of salmonella.
That’s a warning from the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, which has put out some food safety advice ahead of the holidays.
Staff members say you should use a probe thermometer to make sure your food is fully cooked, since oven temperatures can vary and be imprecise.
You’re also urged not to cook turkey at low temperatures for too long, since that can leave it in the “temperature danger zone” where bacteria can multiply.
During your cooking preparation, they say you should thaw frozen food in the fridge rather than at room temperature for the same reason.
When you’re storing dishes and ingredients before eating, they say you should store raw food at the bottom of your fridge, so any juices that leak out won’t accidentally drip onto already cooked food.
Once you’re eating, staff add that other illnesses like RSV and influenza often spread from touching utensils other people have used.
They say you can limit this by washing your hands every time you use a serving utensil.
You can find more food safety tips, including a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know to safely prepare a turkey, on the Health Unit website.