Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has written the ultimate guide to Christmas cooking to ensure turkey – and the mountains of curries and sandwiches that follow to use up the leftovers – does not leave residents with an unwanted present – food poisoning!
As well as being a time of celebration and joy, the festive period is also one of the busiest for environmental health officers, as the excesses of food lead to increasing numbers of food poisoning cases.
In a bid to ensure everyone has a happy and healthy festive period, the Council’s Environmental Health Department has issued Safe Christmas Catering information.
They are also issuing top tips for people to prevent cases of food poisoning and other illnesses at Christmas and New Year.
“Christmas is a busy time for the team as they work hard to not only prevent cases of food poisoning but also deal with them as well,” said Cllr Mike Forey, Cabinet Member with lead responsibility for Environmental Health.
“Their work ensures consumers have the information they need to buy, store and prepare their Christmas produce safely and also that suppliers play their part, producing and storing goods in a hygienic manner.
“We at Rhondda Cynon Taf want to ensure everyone has a healthy and happy Christmas and this work goes a long way towards that.”
Information includes:
Buy from a reputable dealer.
Wash your hands thoroughly after handling your uncooked turkey
If your turkey is frozen, make sure it is thoroughly defrosted before you cook it – this can take up to a couple of days for a large bird. If the meat is still frozen when you put it in the oven, the recommended cooking time will not be enough, which means bacteria that causes food poisoning may still be present.
Defrost by removing it from packaging, placing on a large dish and cover. Remove the neck and giblets as this speeds up the thawing process.
Store the dish in a cool, clean place (ideally the fridge), where the meat is not touching any other food, as it defrosts. If there is no room in the fridge, choose a cool room or even the garage.
Check the packaging and manufacturer’s instructors for thawing details and keep children and pets away!
Make sure there are no ice crystals in the cavity before you place in the oven to be extra certain.
Eating turkey that has not been cooked properly can lead to food poisoning, so recommended cooking times must be adhered to.
The three main ways to tell the meat is cooked are:
- It should be steaming hot all the way through
- When you cut into the thickest piece of meat, none of it should be pink
- If juices run out when you pierce the turkey or the thigh, it must be clear.
Cooking times below are based on an unstuffed bird in an oven preheated to 180 C (350F, gas mark 4). Cook stuffing in a separate tin, rather than inside the bird.
- for a turkey under 4.5kg, allow 45 minutes per kg and an additional 20 minutes.
- for a turkey weighing between 4.5kg and 6.5kg, allow 40 minutes per kg
- for a turkey weighing over 6.5kg, allow 35 minutes per kg.
Cool leftovers as soon as possible and cover before placing in the fridge. Reheat thoroughly and only once.
