How to cook the perfect holiday bird safely

Managing a massive holiday feast while avoiding potential screw-ups can be the most nerve-racking part of the festive season. Luckily, we have you covered. 

Health Canada recently laid out how to prepare your ideal holiday bird (turkey or chicken) while adhering to food safety guidelines. 

Holiday poultry, as savory as it can be — when prepared poorly — can be a huge risk for contamination, specifically salmonella. 

That’s why these simple steps should be followed as closely as possible to minimize risk for you and your family. 

Storing and Thawing 

Bacteria loves room temperature, so when handling your bird of choice, always ensure that it isn’t left out on the counter for too long. 

So when you get home with your plucked holiday centerpiece, freeze or refrigerate it immediately — and always cook it within three days of purchase. 

Additionally, when thawing a frozen turkey or chicken, always defrost it in the fridge, in a bowl of cold water, or via a microwave defrost setting. 

Preparation 

When handling frozen or refrigerated poultry, always consistently wash your hands and ensure that no kitchen utensils come in contact with the bird — unless you want to spend Christmas morning with a bad tummy ache or worse. 

Stuffing 

Since it is the holidays, you would be hard-pressed to find any dinner lacking stuffing, and since you are playing double duty between two culinary endeavors, cross-contamination is always a present risk.

So, always cook stuffing separately.

Cooking 

To avoid any yuletide tragedy, always cook your bird until the temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh is 82 C (180 F).

To ensure this is the case, a meat thermometer can be a great stocking stuffer for yourself. 

Make sure that the juices running off are no longer pink — and — never use a microwave to cook frozen raw breaded chicken products, as this can result in uneven cooking.

For those eyeballing the process, Health Canada indicates that, apart from juices running clear, a bird will generally be thoroughly cooked when the leg bird moves easily in place, with no pink showing anywhere.

Leftovers

Any leftovers collected should be stored as soon as possible, ideally in shallow containers to ensure even refrigeration. 

Always ensure that cooked food products do not come into contact with uncooked poultry and always make sure you eat any leftovers within two days. 

Cleaning Up

To sanitize any materials (dishes, cutting boards and utensils) run them through a thorough cycle in your dishwasher if available.

Alternatively, wash them with hot water and detergent and use a solution of 5 ml (1 tsp) of bleach in 750 ml (3 cups) of water for ideal disinfection. 

Rinse again with fresh water, and dry them thoroughly and you will have managed to make a holiday feast without any risk and all the reward.