- Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap before and after handling raw poultry.
- After preparation, clean all utensils and worktops thoroughly.
- Store poultry carefully. Place cooked foods at the top - above the raw meat.
- Never use the same chopping board for raw poultry and cooked meat.
- Never reheat poultry more than once.
Defrosting
If your turkey is frozen, make sure it’s properly defrosted before you cook it.
Check for ice crystals in the cavity and test the thicker parts of the turkey with a fork, to tell whether the meat feels frozen.
It’s important to work out defrosting time in advance, so you know how much time to allow - it can take at least a couple of days for a large turkey to thaw.
To work out the defrosting time for your turkey, check the packaging.
If there aren’t any defrosting instructions, use the following times as a rough guide for how long it will take to thaw your turkey:
In a fridge at 4°C (39°F), allow about 4 to 6 hours per 450g (1lb), but remember not all fridges will be this temperature.
Place the defrosting turkey in a dish in the fridge. You could also defrost your turkey in a cool room.
If you’re defrosting your turkey somewhere cold, such as the garage or garden shed, keep the turkey covered and make sure that pets and young children are kept away.
Pour away the liquid that comes out of the defrosting turkey regularly, to stop it overflowing and spreading bacteria. Be careful not to splash the liquid onto worktops, dishes or other food and remember to wash your hands.
There’s also no need to wash your turkey. Proper cooking will kill any bacteria.
Remember: giblets are raw meat, so they should either be cooked immediately or stored in a sealed container in the fridge until you cook them.
Always make sure turkey is properly cooked before you serve it, because eating undercooked turkey could cause food poisoning. These are the three main ways to tell if a turkey is cooked:
- The meat should be piping hot all the way through.
- When you cut into the thickest part of the meat, none of the meat should be pink.
- If juices run out when you pierce the turkey, or when you press the thigh, they should be clear.
It’s very important to plan your cooking time in advance, to make sure you get the turkey in the oven early enough to cook it thoroughly. A large turkey can take several hours to cook properly.
Enjoy your leftovers
Ideally, try to use leftovers within 48 hours.
It’s very important to keep cooked meat and poultry in the fridge. If it’s left out at room temperature, food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply.
Try to take out only as much as you’re going to use and leave the rest in the fridge.
If you’re reheating leftover turkey, or other food, always make sure it’s piping hot all the way through before you eat it (above 75°C) and don’t reheat more than once.
For further information on food safety plus advice on defrosting and cooking your turkey, visit the Food Standards Agency’s eatwell site.
