Why you shouldn't wash the Christmas Turkey today-and 10 other tips on safe cooking from Safe Food Ireland

By Kim O'Leary

As many households go about cooking the turkey this Christmas Day, Kildare people are being reminded to try not handle the turkey too much to reduce the risk of spreading harmful bacteria and to also forgo washing the turkey before cooking it.

Here are 11 tips to cook your turkey this Christmas Day, from Safe Food Ireland:

Store your turkey on the bottom shelf of the fridge:

Ahead of the festive rush give your fridge a good clean with warm soapy water; you can also re-arrange the shelves to make room for your turkey - remember to store it on the bottom shelf so any drips won’t land on ready to eat foods which could spread germs leaving these foods unsafe to eat.

If you need to make extra fridge space, you can store vegetables and drinks (except milk and fruit juices) in a cool place.

How much turkey do you really need?

o For 4-6 people, a 3-4kg turkey should do

o For 6-8 people, a 4-5kg turkey should do

o For 8-10 people, a 5-6 kg turkey should do.

If you’re unsure, ask your butcher and think about how many people you’re cooking for (children eat less than adults) and whether you want any leftovers.

What is the safest way to defrost a turkey?

For a frozen turkey or any frozen poultry, the safest and recommended way to defrost it is to place it on a dish or tray on the bottom shelf of your fridge.

You should allow 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds/1.8-2.2kg and give yourself plenty of time – it can take up to 3 days to fully defrost a frozen 7.5kg/15lb turkey, so you may need to take it out to defrost on December 22nd.

You’ll know it’s fully defrosted when:

the body is soft
the legs can be moved and
there are no ice crystals inside the cavity

Once thoroughly defrosted, a previously frozen turkey cooks the same way as a fresh turkey.

Don’t wash that turkey

Do not wash your turkey as this splashes food poisoning bacteria around your kitchen through drips, drops and splashes - proper cooking will actually kill any germs present.

If you do need to clean the bird, wipe it with a disposable paper towel, discarding the used paper towel and any packaging directly in to the bin.

Handle your turkey as little as possible and wash your hands and surfaces thoroughly with warm soapy water.

Give yourself plenty of time to cook your turkey

Raw poultry and meat can contain germs like Salmonella and Campylobacter, so it’s important to cook these foods thoroughly. Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan assisted) and cover the turkey with tinfoil during cooking as this helps it to cook more evenly and gives a more “juicy” product.

The turkey should be basted every hour during cooking (the tinfoil can be removed for the last half hour to finally brown the skin).

You can find cooking times for your turkey at www.safefood.eu

To stuff or not to stuff…

With an unstuffed turkey, you can check whether it’s thoroughly cooked by using a clean fork or skewer to pierce the thickest part of the breast meat (between the leg and breast) – once the juices run clear, there is no pink meat left and the turkey is piping hot all the way through, then it’s properly cooked and ready to serve up.

For fan-assisted ovens, stuff your turkey. For any other oven type, cook the stuffing separately, Safe Food advises.

For stuffed turkeys, you should allow extra cooking time as safefood research has shown that when a turkey is stuffed in the body cavity, it is the centre of the stuffing that is slowest to cook.

So for stuffed turkeys, it is essential you check the stuffing itself is piping hot all the way through as well as making sure the meat at the thickest part of the breast is cooked thoroughly before serving.

Try not to overstuff the turkey; use only 10% of the weight of the bird in stuffing e.g. 500g stuffing for a 5kg turkey.

Leave your turkey to rest

One way of making sure that the stuffing is properly cooked, without risking overcooking the meat, is to remove the turkey from the oven when the meat is fully cooked, and leave it to rest for half an hour covered in tinfoil.

Double check your turkey is cooked

Check the following:

It’s piping hot throughout
Its juices run clear (when thickest part the leg/breast is pierced with a clean fork or skewer)
There is no pink meat left
Any stuffing is piping hot throughout

How to store leftover turkey

Cover any leftovers and place in the fridge within two hours of cooking. Ensure any meat is cooled as quickly as possible – cutting it into pieces will help with this. Once in the fridge, leftovers should be eaten within three days.

Can I freeze the leftover turkey?

If freezing leftover meat, wrap well and make sure it is stored in a suitable container for freezing. Freeze cooked meat for no more than six months approximately – this is for quality rather than safety