For some families, a busy lifestyle makes homecooked turkey dinners a thing of the past. More and more families look to restaurants, grocery stores and caterers to prepare their holiday meals. Precooked dinners can be great time-savers, but they must be handled safely to prevent foodborne illness. The same food safety rules you follow when preparing foods at home apply to precooked dinners.
For foods you pick up hot:
When you pick up food HOT, keep it HOT. Put your bird, stuffing and side dishes in an oven with the temperature set high enough to keep the food at 140 F or above. Insert a meat thermometer in the food periodically to make sure it stays at that temperature. Covering with foil will help keep your food moist. Eating much later? It’s not a good idea to keep foods hot longer than two hours. Follow these guidelines to keep foods safe and tasty:
1. Remove all stuffing from the turkey cavity immediately and refrigerate. Use shallow containers to cool it quickly.
2. Cut turkey off the bone and refrigerate. Reheating a whole turkey is not recommended. Legs and wings may be left whole, but the breast meat should be sliced.
3. Refrigerate side dishes in shallow containers.
4. Reheat pieces and side dishes until they reach 165 F. They should be hot and steaming. Always bring gravy and soups to a rolling boil.
5. Follow your microwave oven manufacturer’s instructions for reheating. Cover food and rotate the dish so it heats evenly. Let the dish sit for a few minutes, then check the temperature with a thermometer to see if it has reached 165 F.
For foods you pick up cold:
When you pick up food COLD, keep it COLD. Follow these guidelines to keep your food safe:
1. Remove stuffing, cut turkey of the bone, and refrigerate as soon as you get home (always within two hours). Legs and wings may be left whole.
2. Refrigerate or freeze in shallow containers.
3. Plan to serve your meal within three to four days.
4. Reheat your turkey to 165 F.
For cooked frozen turkey and individually wrapped side dishes:
Look for the inspection mark. When there is an inspection mark on the packaging, the turkey was prepared in a USDA or state inspected plant under controlled conditions. Always follow package directions for thawing, reheating, and storing.
When there are no handling instructions on the label, follow these steps:
1. Thaw the wrapped, cooked frozen turkey on a tray in the refrigerator. Allow about 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Allow less time for small packages of stuffing, gravy, potatoes and other dishes. Frozen side dishes can go straight to the oven or be thawed in the refrigerator or microwave.
2. Plan to eat thawed turkey within three to four days. You may eat the turkey cold or reheat to 165 F.
3. If you plan to reheat the turkey, cut the meat off the bone. Legs and wings may be left whole, but the breast should be sliced. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers (i.e., containers 2-3 inches thick).
Safe handling of leftovers:
Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers in shallow containers within two hours. When you purchase frozen precooked turkey, it is safe to refreeze the leftovers. Wrap them securely in wrap or containers made for freezing foods.
If you have questions about food safety, contact your local Extension office Family & Consumer Sciences Agent, Alyshia Victoria, at avictoria@utk.edu or 865-992-8038.