Did you know there’s a turkey hotline? You can
call the U.S. Department of Agriculture at 800-424-9121 with all
your turkey-roasting questions. Diane Van answers a lot of the
incoming calls on how long to cook the turkey, how to defrost
the turkey and the safest way to make your Thanksgiving meal.
During November the hotline gets approximately 16,000 callers!
In the first part of the month, callers ask Diane if it would be
safe to cook the turkey they’ve kept in their freezer since last
Thanksgiving.
Her answer? “Of course it’s safe as long as the freezer’s been
operating properly during the whole year.”
But if you’ve kept a turkey in your freezer for more than
a year, she says you should buy a new one. And just in case
you’re wondering, buying a frozen turkey is great as long as you
have enough time to defrost it. Diane recommends five or six
days.
Who Calls?
Diane also gets funny questions from traveling callers.
People have asked her how to take their turkey as a carry-on at
the airport and how to keep the turkey cold overnight without a
refrigerator. Diane suggests filling the sink in the hotel room
with ice and leaving the turkey packed in the ice for
safekeeping.
She also receives calls from people worried about keeping their
loved ones safe from food poisoning. One of her most touching
calls came from a man who wanted to fix a Thanksgiving meal
for his wife who was not expected to live much longer. He called
to ask about safety procedures so that his cooking wouldn’t
make his wife sick.
Students will also call with questions for assignments in school,
and she’s willing to help out with anything they might wonder
about food preparation and safety to help them avoid
mistakes.
Common Mistake
Following Grandma’s tradition of leaving the turkey in the oven
overnight at 250 degrees is a bad idea, according to Diane.
“Make sure you cook [the turkey at] no lower than 325 degrees.
Anything lower is unsafe,” she says.
Diane recommends that anyone cooking a turkey (or any meat)
use a food thermometer. The inside of the turkey must register
at 165 degrees in order for it to be safe.
Final Tips
What are the most important Thanksgiving tips that Diane
wants readers to know? “Number one, use a food thermometer!”
This is also helpful to use if you stuff your turkey (which you
should do immediately prior to baking), because the stuffing
also needs to reach at least 165 degrees. And of course Diane
hopes that you’ll be thankful for your family.
“It’s so important to have family with you and to celebrate the
special occasion of Thanksgiving with them,” she says.
Did you know?
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the
national bird of the U.S. to be the turkey because he thought
that the eagle wasn’t courageous enough.
• The U.S. Department of
Agriculture says that more than 45 million turkeys are bought
and eaten in the U.S. over the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Wild turkeys can fly at speeds
up to 55 miles per hour, but most domesticated turkeys can’t fly
at all.
• Big Bird’s costume is made
up of almost 4,000 white turkey feathers dyed yellow.
