Thanksgiving Safety Tips

Holidays are all about celebrating with family and loved ones, remembering the sentiments of the day while enjoying the gift of being together. The last thing you would want is to tarnish the holiday by fearing for the safety of your loved ones. Thanksgiving, like every other holiday, has its own hazards that can quickly turn a joyous occasion into a bad memory. Here are a couple tips to keep in mind to help you enjoy your day while keeping you and your loved ones safe.

One of the biggest safety hazards on thanksgiving is one of its main keepsakes, the turkey. The holiday can be ruined quickly is the turkey makes your guests queasy due to improper thawing. A turkey should never be thawed to over 40 degrees Fahrenheit before it is put in the oven. Once a raw turkey heads towards room temperature, dangerous bacteria, like salmonella, start to grow. If the bacteria grows before your start prepping it for cooking, any cuts or punctures that you make for flavoring or infusing will spread the bacteria into the meat of the turkey. To be safe, always keep the thawed turkey below 40 degrees, rinse it well before preparing it, and then make sure that the meat is cooked to at least 175 degrees. If you stuff your turkey before cooking it, test the temperature of the stuffing, as well.

Another holiday hazard to be very wary of is fire. The U. S. Fire Administration reports that more than 4,000 house fires occur every year on Thanksgiving. With all of the baking, grilling, and frying it is easy to understand why and how it can happen. To make sure that you keep your home and family safe this holiday season, be sure to be extra vigilant in the kitchen (not that you weren't to begin with)! When you have you meal grilling or frying be sure to never leave the kitchen. Have another family member be the look out in case any emergency should arise that would pull you away. If you're baking, simmering, or broiling, check your meal as often as possible. If you’re anything like me, it may be best to set yourself a timer for every 10 minutes just so that you don’t get involved with another task that steals your attention. If you are going to deep fry your turkey ALWAYS keep it outside, away from all fences and structures. Don’t every fry it inside of your home or garage.

An important family member to keep in mind during the festivities (who often gets overlooked) is the family pet, especially a cat or dog. With all of the excitement and commotion, animals tend to feed of the excited energy as well, which can lead to them getting hurt if they're not managed. Be sure to keep all candies and harmful treats well out of reach; with all of the excitement, no one may notice Fido stealing the bowl of chocolate kisses off of the coffee table. If you prepare now you won't have to worry later. Also, be sure that all guests (mostly meaning the little ones) know how dangerous turkey bones can be for animals. Once they are cooked they shatter when chewed upon, just like chicken bones. Also make sure all discarded bones are well out of reach for if a nosy friend checks the kitchen once everyone is gone from it. Try to feed your four-legged friend before guests arrive, to keep them from scarfing food down and becoming bloated, and try to keep the fatty-Thanksgiving treats to a minimum.

Lastly, make sure to keep yourself safe by properly storing your leftovers. All of your leftovers, including your pies for dessert, should be wrapped up and put away within an hour or so of them being served. Once the food starts to cool down (or warm up if the side was served cold) bacteria can start to grow and cause food poising. If you aren't planning on getting to the leftovers within 3 days they should be put in the freezer immediately. All leftovers should be reheated to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit and gravy should be brought back up to a vigorous boil.