LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Thanksgiving is a great time to get together with friends and families, but don’t invite food illnesses to your party.
Experts say just a few safety measures can be taken to make sure your guests don’t end up sick this holiday. Before you start cooking, wash your hands to make sure you are not carrying your germs over to the food you are cooking. And when it comes to the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving, make sure the internal temperature is high enough before you carve your bird.
“You always want to make sure chicken, your turkey, whatever protein you are cooking, is cooked all the way through,” says Lauren Bondrowski, Lima Senior Culinary Arts instructor. “For turkey that is 165 (degrees), that is really important, you don’t want to get salmonella. Use either a digital meat thermometer or a bimetallic stem thermometer that has been calibrated correctly.”
Other tips are to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold and if you have leftovers, make sure you get them in the refrigerator after they have been setting out for no more than two hours.
