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DAVIS – To make the Thanksgiving meal memorable for delicious food and lively conversation, not gastrointestinal distress, hosts should practice safe food handling. A University of California, Davis, food safety expert says official recommendations for cooking temperatures and handling to prevent food-borne illness were revised this year.

Turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees to kill Salmonella and other disease-causing bacteria, according to UC Cooperative Extension food safety specialist Linda Harris. To accurately determine that the meat has reached a safe temperature, she advises inserting a food thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh and the thickest part of the turkey’s breast.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) simplified its poultry cooking guidelines by providing one rather than three endpoint temperatures.

“For years we’ve been telling cooks to measure 180 degrees in the innermost part of the thigh, 170 degrees in the breast, and 165 degrees in the center of the stuffing. Now we can tell them cooking all part of the bird to at least 165 degrees is adequate for safe eating” Harris said. “Consumers should be aware that the former higher temperatures were recommended because they are often necessary to remove the pink appearance and rubbery texture of the meat.”

Consumers may also not be aware that washing the birds before cooking is not recommended because splashing rinse water easily contaminates the sink, countertops and other foods.

• Properly thaw frozen turkeys in the refrigerator or in cold water. If you thaw the turkey in the microwave, cook it immediately after thawing.
• Cook turkey to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
• To prevent cross contamination, don’t wash the turkey before cooking. Wash hands, cutting boards and any utensils that have touched the raw turkey or its juice.
• Don’t let leftovers sit at room temperature for more than two hours.

For more information about cooking poultry, the FSIS fact sheet can be downloaded from http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Poultry_Preparation_Fact_Sheets/index.asp

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MEDIA CONTACT: University of California Cooperative Extension food safety specialist Linda Harris, (530) 757-5767, ljharris@ucdavis.edu