Business & Tech

Don't Be A Turkey When You Cook The Bird

Silver Cross Hospital has shared some tips on cooking a healthy turkey dinner.

Preparing a turkey is anything but simple. So whether you plan to keep your Thanksgiving meal traditional with Grandma’s favorite recipes, or want to add a few gourmet options, make sure these safety tips — courtesy of Silver Cross Hospital — are ingredients in all your dishes.  

  1. Keep the stovetop free of clutter. Trying to cook all your dishes at once could cause grease to accidentally spill onto a range top and cause a fire.
  2. Do not try to hold your child in one arm while cooking with the other. Holding a child while cooking is an invitation for a burn. “During Thanksgiving families are busy preparing the dinner and can get easily distracted and unfortunately that’s how painful burns can occur,” says Dr. Daniel Checco, the emergency medicine physician at the Silver Cross Free-Standing Emergency Care Center in Homer Glen. “So to avoid any burns it’s best to keep your child out of the kitchen while you’re cooking.”
  3. Never put a glass casserole or lid on the stove or over a burner. If it gets hot and explodes, it will send dangerous shards of glass in all directions.
  4. Do not pour water on a grease fire. Pouring water on a grease fire can cause the fire to spread. In the event of a range-top fire, turn off the burner, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding a lid onto the pan. Leave the lid in place until the pot or pan is cooled.
  5. Avoid using a turkey fryer because they pose a number of distinct safety concerns, including burn and fire hazards.
  6. Keep a clean work surface. Be sure to wash surfaces, utensils, the sink and hands after handling raw food. It’s a good idea to identify one cutting board for raw meats and one for other uses. “Unfortunately cross contamination commonly occurs when preparing holiday meals and the last thing you want your guests to do is get food poisoning from your holiday fest. Be sure to be mindful of cleaning your food preparation tools and cutting boards,” says Dr. Checco.
  7. Un-stuff the turkey. According to the USDA, for optimum safety, stuffing a turkey is not recommended. For more even cooking, cook the stuffing outside the bird in a casserole dish until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Thaw the bird with care. If using a frozen turkey, the USDA recommends thawing it in the refrigerator in its original wrapping, in a tray or pan that can catch any juices that may leak.
  9. Call for help. If you’ve accidentally cooked the giblets inside the turkey, melted the “hock lock” or have any other questions about cooking your Thanksgiving bird, be safe and call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
  10. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of emergency and know how to use it. Read the directions carefully before an actual emergency occurs.


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