Tips on Defrosting, Cooking and Turkey Leftovers
Many people sitting down to Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving dinner will be eating turkey. Whether you're cooking for one or thirty-one, use our advice to help protect you, your family and friends from |food poisoning.
Note: This advice applies to all poultry including goose and duck, and game such as partridge, guinea fowl and pheasant.
The main points to remember:
- Keep raw poultry away from ready-to-eat foods.
- Always store raw foods below ready-to-eat or cooked foods in the fridge.
- Store poultry carefully to prevent food poisoning bacteria from growing and spreading.
- Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly, with hot water and soap, after handling raw poultry.
- After preparing poultry, clean all utensils and worktops thoroughly - we recommend using an antibacterial spray after cleaning.
- Always use separate chopping boards for raw poultry and meat.
- Always make sure poultry is properly cooked before serving (above 75°C) and that the juices run clear.
- Don't re-heat poultry more than once.
Defrosting a Turkey
If using a frozen turkey, ensure it's properly defrosted before you cook it. If it's still partially frozen the recommended cooking times won't be long enough so food poisoning bacteria could survive the cooking process. Before you start cooking ensure there are no ice crystals within the cavity and test the thicker parts of the turkey with a fork which will indicate whether the meat is still frozen.
It's important to work out defrosting time in advance - it can take at least a couple of days for a large turkey to thaw. Check the packaging for defrosting instructions. The following offers a rough defrosting guide but check the meat is fully thawed before cooking:
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.
- Put defrosting turkey in a dish in a cool, clean place (ideally the fridge) where the turkey will not touch other foods. If it is not possible to defrost your turkey in the fridge use a cool room.
- If defrosting turkey somewhere cool, such as garage or garden shed, keep the turkey covered and ensure pets and young children are kept away.
- Pour away any 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, cloths or other food and remember to wash your hands.
- Don't wash the turkey (or other poultry) as bacteria can splash onto worktops, dishes and other foods. Proper cooking will kill any bacteria, so poultry doesn't need to be washed.
- Giblets are raw meat. They should either be cooked immediately or stored in a sealed container in the fridge until you cook them. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw turkey, giblets or any other raw meat.
Cooking a Turkey
Always make sure turkey is properly cooked before you serve it. Eating undercooked turkey (or other poultry) could cause |food poisoning.
There are the three main ways to tell if a turkey is cooked:
- the meat should be piping hot all the way through,
- when the thickest part of the meat is cut none of the meat should be pink,
- the juices that run out when you pierce the turkey or press the thigh, should run clear.
Planning your cooking time in advance is very important, to ensure the turkey goes in the oven early enough to cook it thoroughly. A large turkey can take several hours to cook properly.
Often cooking advice is included on the turkey's packaging but as a general guide:
- Allow 18-20 minutes per 450g (1lb) at 190°C, 375°F, Gas Mark 5 (after the oven has preheated).
These cooking times are based on an un-stuffed turkey. It's better to cook your stuffing in a roasting tin separately, rather than inside the turkey. This enables the turkey to cook thoroughly and cooking guidelines will be more accurate. (Stuffing inside the turkey will cause it to cook more slowly.)
After cooking, any leftover turkey should be cooled quickly (in no more than 1½ hours) and then covered or placed in a sealed container and put it in the fridge. Make sure you keep all ready-to-eat foods, including cooked poultry, away from raw meat.
Turkey Leftovers
- Keep cooked meat and poultry in the fridge - at room temperature, food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply.
- Try to take out only as much as you are going to use and leave the rest in the fridge.
- If re-heating, always make sure it's piping hot all the way through before you eat it (above 75°C).
- Don't re-heat turkey more than once.
- Ideally, try to use leftovers within 48 hours.
