By Terry James
SPRINGFIELD – The holidays usually center around food and family. However, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah said you need to follow some simple rules to keep you and your family safe.
“A lot of folks like to clean up their kitchen before they start cooking and then they clean it up after they finish cooking,” said Shah. “What they often miss is cleaning while they’re cooking. Washing your hands repeatedly, washing your utensils repeatedly, especially if they have come into contact with raw meat.”
Shah advises us to always keep hot food hot and cold food cold. He says you should also never rely on the pop up turkey thermometers. Shah recommends using a separate food thermometer and cook the turkey to 165 degrees.
Shah said you should never leave food out for more than two hours. He also said leftover turkey should be disposed of after three or four days in the refrigerator.
Terry James can be reached at terry@wjbc.com.
