Thanksgiving In Amarillo. Don’t Get Your Guests Sick

We are going to be spending a lot of time this next week with friends and family as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

There is going to be a lot of food! With a lot of food preparation going on there are some hazards that we need to be aware of during the festivities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already come out and warned us about the salmonella outbreak linked to under-cooked turkey. So remember how important it is to wash your hands each and every time you touch raw turkey. You can not wash your hands enough.

Also know that when you rinse the turkey in the sink it can be just as dangerous. The turkey juices can spray around on your counter tops and sink. You need to make sure you disinfect anything that ends up coming in contact with the turkey. Wash it down with bleach or disinfecting wipes.

Be careful when defrosting your turkey. The safest way is to take the time to defrost it in the refrigerator. When you do it is always kept under 40 degrees. You also need to be cautious that it is in a container that won't leak. Even place the turkey at the bottom of the fridge. This way none of the juices have a chance to drip onto other food in the fridge.

Another turkey related thing to avoid is the way you cook your stuffing. If you are one that likes to cook the stuffing in the bird, make sure you put it in a pan after the turkey is done and place it back in the over until it reaches the magical 165 degrees. You don't want to risk any under cooked turkey juices making its way to your stuffing. You can also avoid this entirely by cooking the stuffing totally separate.

Coming up tomorrow more Thanksgiving safety tips. To Be Continued......