By AMANDA HOFFMANN
Cynthia Brown, a department spokeswoman, said that while the department does not have statistics on the exact number of food poisoning cases during the holidays, the department receives many calls at this time of year.
"An increase in cases around this time of year has been reported anecdotally, but there are no studies," Brown said. "One of the main causes of food poisoning is cross-contamination. Try to use separate cutting boards or wash them very thoroughly. Don't prepare your turkey on it, then cut a head of lettuce later."
Brown is also an advocate of frequent hand-washing while preparing food. "Wash your hands," she said. "I know it sounds so old-fashioned, but you can avoid the spread of illnesses so much by doing that, especially after handling raw meat."
It's also important to take precautions when preparing and storing the turkey, Brown said. One mistake people often make, she said, is thawing a frozen turkey at room temperature, rather than in the refrigerator over the course of a few days.
Higher temperature promotes growth of disease-causing bacteria," Brown said. "Allow approximately 24 hours in the refrigerator for every five pounds of turkey."
Another tip: Keep the stuffing away from the turkey. "It is safer to cook stuffing outside the turkey, because a stuffed turkey takes longer to reach proper cooking temperature," Brown said.
A stuffed turkey also takes longer to cool down, which can present a health risk, said Chris Metz, executive chef at Top Notch, an Oceanside deli and caterer.
"If you stuff the turkey in the morning and put it in the oven early, and leave it out for a few hours, when you are done it could be a recipe for disaster," said Metz, who typically bakes more than 60 turkeys for customers on Thanksgiving.
"The best thing is to prepare the stuffing separately," he said. "If not, make sure to empty it out of the turkey when it's done cooking to make sure it gets cooled properly."
Timing is the key to a tasty bird, said Metz, who has been whipping up culinary delicacies for 25 years at places including Artie's New York Deli on Broadway in Manhattan, and King David Delicatessen in Cedarhurst. Pop-up timers are usually fairly reliable, he said, suggesting that a meat thermometer be kept on hand in case the popper malfunctions.
The turkey, as well as the stuffing, should reach a minimum of 180 degrees before it is removed from the oven, according to the health department.
"You figure about 12 minutes per pound, so you aren't waiting till Christmas if the timer is broken and it doesn't pop up," Metz said.
He also warned that clear juices don't necessarily mean the bird is done. "You might poke at it and see when the juices run clear, but that's pretty useless," Metz said. "It's arbitrary, because I've been doing this a long time and can't really tell that way."
Metz pointed out that the breast meat cooks faster than the legs and thighs, which is why white meat is sometimes slightly overcooked. If you start the turkey cooking breast-down in water, it helps to retain some of the moisture, he said.
"You really want to separate the white and dark meat," Metz said. "It's complicated to do. That's really a chef's secret."
Once the bird is done, it should not be left on the counter for hours before guests arrive, Metz warned. "The longer you leave it out, the shorter its life," he said.
Health department guidelines call for no more than two hours on the counter and table before the turkey should go back into the
refrigerator or freezer. Leftover turkey and stuffing should be tossed out after three days, and gravy should be thrown out after one or two days, Brown said.
If leftovers are to be frozen, they should go directly into the freezer, and not sit in the refrigerator for days first.
If you don't want to tackle a turkey this season, Top Notch will be taking orders. A 16- to 18-pound kosher a la carte turkey, which feeds approximately 12, costs $105.
For $199.95, the bird comes with soup, stuffing, vegetables, sweet potato pudding, coleslaw, cranberry relish, gravy and a pecan pie. (The sides are available, without the turkey, for $117.95.)
"You wash the turkey, season it, put it in the oven - it's a basic simple process," said Metz. "You have to enjoy it. That's what this is all about. Don't stress."
Comments about this story?AHoffmann@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 269.
