15 December 2010
Eastbourne Borough Council’s Environmental Health Team is hoping to reduce the number of food safety clangers that are served up this Christmas, by promoting a Christmas food safety campaign.
An Eastbourne Borough Council Spokesperson said, “There's enormous pressure on people who are required to cater for large gatherings at Christmas time and it's sometimes easy to forget the basic rules of food preparation. Every year, despite the warnings, some families still suffer an unpleasant dose of food poisoning which can ruin the memory of the big day.”
To combat this, Eastbourne Borough Council is pushing three key messages on the preparation and cooking of turkeys and other poultry:
• don’t wash it (you don’t need to);
• defrost it thoroughly; and
• cook it properly.
Washing meat or poultry can cause harmful food poisoning bacteria to splash on to worktops, chopping boards, dishes and utensils, where they can linger for days.
Partially defrosted turkeys are another common festive food safety blunder. When it’s completely thawed there won’t be any ice crystals inside the cavity of the bird. You can also test it with a fork to tell whether the meat feels frozen.
Thorough cooking will ensure that any food poisoning bugs are killed. To ensure that the turkey is cooked properly, make sure it is piping hot all the way through. Cut into the thickest part (between the breast and thigh) to check that none of the meat is pink, and juices run clear.
