How to Make Sure Thanksgiving Dinner is Food Safe?

Thanksgiving Day or Día de Acción de Gracias is already near. Americans usually celebrate this wondrous holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. Canadians have a different date on Thanksgiving and they celebrate it on the second Monday of October. Are you already prepared on the things you need for that day? Considered as an annual holiday in the US, Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks on what we have.

Plan Ahead

Have a menu ready so that you can sort out what you already have and list down what you need. It’ll be such a hassle if you don’t have the menu ready by now.

Most of the stores, supermarket, establishments and others are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Make sure that you already have a list of to-dos and to-buys so that you can already buy them this week.

Practice Food Safety

A lot of websites you can find about food safety offers us tips on how to do it. Some of the things you should remember before Thanksgiving Day are:

Be Clean

• Cleaning ourselves before handling food
• Cleaning our surroundings
• Cleaning the food

Separate

• Separate meat, poultry, seafood and eggs in plates or cutting boards
• Separate meat, poultry, seafood and eggs in your grocery bag
• Separate meat, poultry, seafood and eggs in the fridge

Cook it!

• Between 40˚ and 140˚ Fahrenheit, bacteria that cause food poisoning can quickly spread and multiply
• Use a Food Thermometer
• Keep Food Hot after Cooking at 140 ˚F or above
• Microwave food thoroughly (to 165 ˚F)

Chilling Me Softly

• Within two hours, refrigerate perishable foods
• Never thaw or marinate foods on the counter
• Know when to throw food out
• After Thanksgiving Dinner

Before you chill out with others, you should make sure to keep the foods on the fridge. Chilling the foods will reduce the risk of having foodborne illnesses. If you feel like eating it again, reheat it to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F or until hot and steaming.

Let’s make sure that Thanksgiving Day will be one of the most memorable 2012 holidays in your list and avoid having foodborne illnesses like Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, E.coli and so much more. Having the proper knowledge and practicing the proper habits of food safety will ensure you and your family’s safety.