Cathy Isom fills you in on when it’s time to cook your Thanksgiving turkey, what you need to know about one popular side dish and why experts say it shouldn’t be anywhere near the inside of the bird. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Stuffing, Outside of the Bird
You can probably just about taste it… your Thanksgiving meal with all of the trimmings… like stuffing. One of my favorites. While some may think stuffing has to be cooked inside the turkey. Most chefs and food safety experts don’t recommend doing it that way. Because according to USDA Food Safety Expert Marianne Gravely:
“you have to overcook the turkey to make sure the stuffing is cooked.”
Or worse, you don’t consider that and you don’t cook the turkey long enough to get that bacteria-killing temperature.
Gravely says despite her advice, some of the callers to the U-S-D-A’s Meat and Poultry Hotline still insist they are going to stuff that turkey.
“and so, we’re hear to make sure to do it the safest way possible and that means taking the temperature of the stuffing make sure its reached a safe temperature which is 165.“
Which may result in over-cooking the turkey – and not a happy cook – or guests at the table. But there’s help available if you’re still not sure or have any other meal prep or food safety-related questions. You can call the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-M P Hotline (1-888-674-6854). Experts will be also be available online live at askkaren.gov on the web – even Thanksgiving Day – from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. – Eastern Time.