EKU culinary chef shares holiday food safety tips

In just a couple days many will be enjoying a holiday feast with family and friends, so we want to make sure we keep food safety in mind on Turkey Day.

Richmond, Ky (WTVQ): In just a couple days many will be enjoying a holiday feast with family and friends, so we want to make sure we keep food safety in mind on Turkey Day.

Chef Sangwook Kang, Associate Professor at Eastern Kentucky University, says two important safety tips when preparing your Thanksgiving meal is taking proper care of the turkey, as well as avoiding cross contamination.

He says there are three different ways to thaw out a frozen turkey. “You can thaw out in the fridge, and you can thaw out by running cold water, and also you can thaw out in the microwave oven,” he said.

Kang says it’s important to check the internal temperature of the turkey. He says. According to USDA guidelines, if you plan to thaw your turkey out in the fridge, every four pounds equals one day in the fridge. “So, for example, if you purchase eight pounds of turkey, maybe you need to thaw out for two days in the fridge,” Kang said.

And, of course, there are many different ways you can prepare a turkey. Including baking, roasting plus a crowd favorite frying a turkey. But, Kang says, for many, the supporting characters are just as important as the star of the show. So, make sure you’re not cross contaminating your items on the cutting board. “You need to make sure after you use them you need to wash them, and then wipe them and set it up like a new cutting board then cut it,” he said.

If you’re looking for more health safety tips on how to cook a turkey, Kang says the USDA would be one of the best spots for a standardized recipe. “Standardized recipe means it’s tested multiple times and also verified with the nutrition facts, and the quality of the food,” he said.