I love Thanksgiving and the opportunity it presents for families to gather together, watch Thanksgiving football, toast cocktails, and eventually break bread. While bringing family together to enjoy the day is rewarding in itself, not making each other sick is even more pleasurable.

Thawing the turkey (if not already thawed), should be done carefully, and ideally not in the kitchen sink if it will be used later for rinsing vegetables. I recommend the refrigerator, but caution that it may take a few days. In any event, feel free to remind your mother-in-law that the FDA’s 2023 Food Code can be a good resource when it comes to thawing, cooking, and cooling that require temperature control for safety. Indeed, wrapped in festive paper and adorned with a bow, it might even make for a nice holiday gift.

The Food Code can also provide some helpful tips for safe handling of raw animal and other risky foods. Of course, avoiding cross contamination is always at the top of the list, especially in a crowded and chaotic kitchen where everyone is trying to chip in and help. Make sure to wash hands frequently, and continuously wash and sanitize counters and utensils. In our own kitchen, we typically have a few containers of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes open at any given time. I might even bring a few extra ones along when we visit the in-laws.

After the turkey is thawed, be sure to cook it properly and thoroughly. Nobody likes medium rare poultry, and nobody wants to invite Sam and Ella to their dinner party. Using a thermometer, and cooking your turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit will make your family eternally grateful.

In addition to handling and preparing your high-risk foods properly, also be sure to remain cognizant of allergies. If one of your guests has an allergy, it will be important to ensure the foods being served are prepared on different “lines” — if not possible, then of course ensure they are prepared in accordance with strict cleaning practices to avoid cross-contact.

If you’re bringing a dish to share at Thanksgiving (or your guests are bringing a dish to you), make sure the food is being transported safety. Keeping an egg salad unrefrigerated in the back seat of the car during a six-hour drive to see your relatives may not be the most brilliant idea. If you’re hosting, make sure your guests understand that as well. Here too, sending out advance copies of the Food Code may be advisable.

And, finally, don’t give in to peer pressure when your in-laws want you to take the left-over turkey (unrefrigerated) with you on your six-hour trek back home. Clostridium perfringens are pretty cool in a petri dish, but not in your stool sample.

Hope you all have a happy — and healthy — Thanksgiving!

Please keep us safe this Thanksgiving

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