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UNL Extension in Lancaster County

FOOD: Nutrition, Safety & Cooking

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Thanksgiving Food Preparation Tips- 2008: Helpful Links

Alice Henneman, MS, RD, UNL Extension in Lancaster County

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"Heap high the board with plenteous cheer and gather to the feast,
And toast the sturdy Pilgrim band whose courage never ceased."
     ~Alice W. Brotherton

Thanksgiving is a special time for giving thanks and focusing on family and friends. If you're hosting or thinking about hosting a Thanksgiving meal at your house, the following links may be helpful. If these links helped you this Thanksgiving, please let us know by clicking HERE:

NOTE: Turkey meat will be safely cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F; however, the meat may still be slightly pink. Some people prefer cooking turkey to a higher temperature (whole turkey to 180°F in the innermost part of the thigh; turkey breasts to 170 degrees F in the thickest part) for meat that is more well done. For additional reasons turkey meat can be pink, click HERE.

1. Toll-free USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

The hotline will be staffed with food safety specialists on Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time to answer your turkey questions.

For food safety questions year round, you may speak with a food safety specialist — in English or Spanish — from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays.

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at:
1-888-MPHotline
1-888-674-6854
Or send an Email to: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
Web page link for Hotline

2. Let's Talk Turkey–A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey (source: USDA)
Web page link | PDF | En Español

Every facet of getting a turkey from the store to the dinner table is included — buying fresh vs. frozen, safe thawing methods, stuffing, roasting, storing leftover turkey and reheating the leftovers.

3. Turkey Basics (Source: USDA)

4. Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating (Source: USDA)
Web page link | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF
Don't compromise food safety when looking for new and interesting ways to prepare old standards like chicken and turkey.

5. Nebraska Department of Agriculture Agriculture Poultry and Egg Division
Web page link

Turkey preparation tips, recipes and Thanksgiving Countdown Tips are given here.

6. Carving the Whole Turkey Brochure (source: NE Dept. of Agriculture Poultry & Egg Division)
PDF | En Español PDF

It may be easier and less intimidating to carve a turkey in the kitchen than at the dining table. This brochure includes step by step instructions for both methods. Several recipes using turkey meat are given.

7. How to Cook a Turkey the Day before Serving It
Web page link

Details and tips for preparing your turkey a day before serving it are given.

8. Turkey Anytime: A Recipe for Turning Leftovers into Planned Overs (includes 10 quick recipes)
PDF link

9. Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table (source: USDA)
Web page link

Turkey preparation methods other than the traditional method of roasting a turkey in the oven are described: electric roaster oven, grilling (covered charcoal grill and covered gas grill, smoking a turkey, deep fat frying a turkey, and cooking turkey in a pressure cooker.

10. Oven Bags (Source: Reynolds)
Web page link

A turkey will cook faster in an oven bag with less cleanup afterwards. For more information about using oven bags, check this link. Directions for specific oven bags are included when you purchase an oven bag. NOTE: A thermometer can be inserted through a hole in the oven bag so you can tell when your turkey is safely done.

12. Countdown to the Thanksgiving Holiday (source: USDA)
Web page link | PDF | En Español PDF

Plan ahead to ease the countdown tension for your Thanksgiving meal.

13. Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe? (source: USDA)
Web page link | PDF

Well-done, safely cooked turkey meat may sometimes have a pink color. Learn why here. (source: USDA)

14. No-Show Guests Jeopardize Food (source: USDA)
Web page link

When guests encounter emergencies and the meal must be delayed or cancelled, food must be handled "just right" to remain safe.

15. "Panic Button" Food Safety Questions (source: USDA)
Web page link | PDF | En Español PDF

During the holidays, people are busy and can sometimes forget that unsafe handling and cooking can lead to foodborne illness. Here are some questions callers have asked regarding the safety of their holiday foods.

16. Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats (source: USDA)
Web page link | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF

Rather than turkey, some families choose a rib roast; others, a ham; and some will have a butcher arrange a crown roast of lamb. For special holiday meals, the cook wants everything perfect — and perfectly safe.

17. Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling
Web page link | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF (source: USDA)

"Turducken" — a layered poultry dish especially popular during the holidays — requires safe food handling and thorough cooking to prevent foodborne illness.

18. Types of Food Thermometers
Web page link

Learn the difference between different types of food thermometers and how to use them.

19. Brilliant Buffets (source: www.fightbac.org)
Web page link | Check the TWO links for downloading pages 1 and 2 of a related holiday brochure by clicking HERE

Learn tips for setting out food safely at holiday buffets.

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