Every day until the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will send out a fresh turkey tip via Twitter. The tips help you prepare a successful and safe holiday meal.
Twitter users can follow the profile @USDAfoodsafety to read all the Turkey Tweets. The tips take you day by day through buying, freezing, refrigerating, thawing, preparing, roasting and serving the bird—and, of course, to storing and eating the leftovers.
If you miss a tweet, you can find all of the Turkey Tweets on Twitter by searching or clicking on the #turkeytweets hashtag or by going to http://search.twitter.com and typing in #turkeytweets.
In addition to getting some great tips on Twitter, the FSIS’s food safety education staff introduces another innovative way to connect: A live Facebook chat with Diane Van of the Food Safety Education Service. She’ll answer questions about safe holiday food prep on the USDA Facebook page on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
You can ask questions during the chat or leave them in Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/USDA.
The new Turkey Tweets and Facebook Chat join two long-standing USDA holiday food safety outreach services:
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline phone service, available daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, in English and Spanish. 1-888-674-6854 (Special Thanksgiving Day hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET)
The Ask Karen “virtual assistant” service, which provides answers to common food safety questions 24/7 at www.askkaren.gov.
In addition to all of the helpful resources on Twitter, Facebook and via the USDA hotlines, here are some helpful tips from the USDA to start your Thanksgiving Day meal preparation:
*Plan your menu and gather recipes.
*Check your pantry to see what you have.
*Make a shopping list of needed ingredients.
*Check to make sure you have all the equipment you will need, including a roasting pan large enough to hold your turkey or meat.
*Buy a food thermometer if you don't already have one.
*Start using foods that are taking up space in your refrigerator and freezer to make sure you have plenty of room for your turkey, ham, or roast and other dishes.
Once you’ve selected your menu and collected all the recipes, purchase all non-perishables ahead of time (Check the local newspaper and web sites for holiday food coupons and grocery store bargains!)
Shop for fresh items (perishables) on your final shopping trip.
Remember to order your turkey in advance! A frozen turkey should be timed for pickup so it can go straight into the refrigerator to thaw. Plan on 24 hours for each 4-1/2 pounds of whole turkey. A fresh turkey should only be picked up one or two days in advance.
Preparing Thanksgiving dinner can be a wonderful experience, yet daunting for those planning it. The goal is to have a safe and delicious turkey dinner, and if planned one day at a time, it can be a fun and memorable experience.
Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com
sources: USDA, Fightbac.org
Posted November 14th, 2009 by Cheryl Phillips
