

It's Turkey Time: Safely Prepare Your Holiday Meal

Cooked Thanksgiving turkeyWhether you're a seasoned chef or a novice preparing your first holiday meal, make sure you know the safest ways to thaw, prepare, stuff and cook your turkey.


Turkey Basics: Safely Thaw, Prepare, Stuff, and Cook


Food Thermometer Truths

  • Always use a food thermometer to guarantee that foods are cooked to a safe-to-eat temperature.
  • Some food thermometers must be calibrated to ensure that they read food temperature accurately. Find out if your thermometer can be calibrated.
  • Calibrate your food thermometer by following these steps:
    1. Fill a pot with distilled water and bring to a rolling boil.
    2. Hold the thermometer probe in the boiling water for one minute. Do not let the probe touch the pot.
    3. After one minute, the thermometer should read between 210° and 214° F. If it does not, adjust the thermometer manually to 212° F. If the thermometer cannot be adjusted manually do not use it until it is serviced by a professional.

Did You Know?

    • Outbreaks occur most often in November and December.

Safe Thawing



Safe Preparation


Safe Stuffing


Safe Cooking


A Note About Ebola

On November 10, 2014, a fictitious, comedic article was published online claiming that turkeys on a farm in Texas were infected with Ebola. This is a false claim. Furthermore, experimental efforts to infect birds with Ebola virus have not been successful, and birds have never been implicated in the transmission of Ebola. Only a few species of mammals, including humans, bats, monkeys, and apes, have been shown to be capable of becoming infected with and transmitting Ebola.

There is no danger of getting Ebola from handling or eating any food produced in the United States. Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola or someone who has died from Ebola. In some African countries, human Ebola infections have been associated with hunting, butchering, and handling bushmeat from animals infected with the Ebola virus. "Bushmeat" refers to meat that comes from wild animals, such as bats and monkeys, captured in developing regions of the world such as Africa. It is illegal to bring bushmeat into the U.S. Because of this, bushmeat, in any amount, found at U.S. ports of entry is destroyed along with any personal items that may have come in contact with it.



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