Tag Archives: leftovers

Handle Your Turkey, Leftovers Safely This Thanksgiving

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As you gather with family and friends to break bread this Thanksgiving Day, DHEC wants to make sure you avoid any food-handling issues that could result in illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food-handling errors and inadequate cooking are the most common problems that lead to poultry-associated foodborne disease outbreaks.

Here are some tips to consider before, during and after you fry your turkey.

Don’t buy the bird too early

If you bought your turkey fresh, keep it in the refrigerator (40° F or less) and cook it within one to two days. If you bought your turkey frozen, to thaw it safely in the refrigerator, allow for a thaw rate of 4-5 pounds per day. For example, for a 12-pound bird it will take 2.5 to 3 days in the refrigerator to thaw. It should then be cooked within one to two days.

You can thaw your turkey in the refrigerator, a sink of cold water that is changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave. Never thaw your turkey by leaving it out on the counter. A frozen turkey is safe indefinitely, but a thawing turkey must defrost at a safe temperature. When the turkey is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, its temperature becomes unsafe as it moves into the danger zone between 40° F and 140° F, where bacteria can grow rapidly.

Safely Cook Your Turkey

Set the oven temperature to at least 325° F. Place the completely thawed turkey with the breast side up in a roasting pan that is 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of the turkey. To make sure the turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165° F, check by inserting a food thermometer into the center of the stuffing and the thickest portions of the breast, thigh, and wing joint. Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before removing all stuffing from the cavity and carving the meat.

Turkey Frying  

When working with large amounts of hot oil, select a cooking vessel large enough to completely submerge the turkey without it spilling over. The oil should cover the turkey by 1 to 2 inches. Select a safe location outdoors for deep frying a turkey. Heat the cooking oil to 350° F. Very slowly and carefully lower the turkey into the hot oil. Monitor the temperature of the oil with a thermometer during cooking. Never leave the hot oil unattended.

Allow approximately 3 to 5 minutes of cook time per pound. When reaching approximate time needed, check to see if the turkey is safely cooked by removing the turkey from the oil, draining the oil from the cavity and with a food thermometer, check the internal temperature of bird. DO NOT test the temperature while the turkey is submerged in oil.

Monitor Your Leftovers

After dinner, remember to follow the two-hour rule. For safety, do not leave the turkey or other perishable foods sitting out at room temperature longer than two hours. Refrigerate your leftovers at 40° F or colder as soon as possible to prevent food poisoning.

If you have any questions about keeping your leftovers safe, you can check out the USDA’s FoodKeeper app. It’s available on Android and Apple devices. The app provides storage timelines for the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, for more than 500 products.

From Other Blogs: Super Bowl leftovers, health and safety tips for mass gatherings, cancer

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A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

End Game Strategies for Super Bowl Leftovers

The game is over and your team WON, or maybe not. But two things remain after the game — friendly rivalries and lots of leftovers. There are some important rules you need to follow regarding Super Bowl Party leftovers to ensure your loved ones don’t get foodborne illnesses after the game. — From the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) blog

Four Health and Safety Tips for Mass Gatherings

There is strength in numbers – both in public health and in public safety. The more people who take action to protect themselves, the better prepared a community is for an emergency.

Communities take different forms. At a mass gathering like the Super Bowl, the Olympics, or in a public place like the airport, the community includes people you do not know, but whose actions could help prevent a catastrophe or save your life. Here are four things you can do to prepare yourself and protect others when traveling to, and attending, a mass gathering event. — From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) The Topic Is Cancer blog

Inspiring and Taking Action Against Cancer

World Cancer Day, observed annually on February 4th, raises awareness about cancer worldwide. For me, it is a time to look back on how far we’ve come in lowering the number of cancer cases and deaths. Today, it’s just as important to set our sights on a future where every person has the right information, makes healthy choices that prevent cancer before it starts, has the right screening at the right time, and gets good cancer treatment no matter where they live. — From the CDC’s Public Health Matters blog

Cervical health awareness

According to the American Cancer Society, each year in the U.S. nearly 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 4,000 die as a result. But cervical cancer is a preventable and treatable cancer, thanks to improved screening and vaccination.

Jennifer Risinger, MD, Parkridge OB/GYN, encourages all women to stay up-to-date on their Pap smears. “Cervical cancer is a completely preventable disease. Women can dramatically reduce their risk of getting cervical cancer and dying from cervical cancer by having Pap smears.” — From Flourish, Palmetto Health’s blog

From Other Blogs: Holiday leftovers, winter safety, food labels & more

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A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

Holiday Leftovers? We’ve Got You Covered!

All good things must come to an end, including the holidays. But leftovers from your holiday celebrations can help stretch out y our holiday cheer. —  From the EPA Blog

Be Prepared to Stay Safe and Healthy in Winter

Winter storms and cold temperatures can be hazardous. Stay safe and healthy by planning ahead. Prepare your home and cars. Prepare for power outages and outdoor activity. Check on older adults. — From the CDC’s Your Health – Your Environment Blog

NCEH/ATSDR – Top 10 “Your Health, Your Environment” Blog Posts of 2017

As another year draws to a close, perhaps you’ve realized that you didn’t get a chance to read all of the “Your Health, Your Environment” blog posts. To help you get caught up, here are the ten most popular posts of 2017.  — From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Your Health – Your Environment blog

Both Government and Private Company Food Labels Have Tradeoffs

For more than a century, American families have used government-regulated food labels, such as “USDA prime beef,” to help them decide what food products to buy. Today, consumers also look to food labels for information about how their food was grown and how healthy it is. — From the U.S. Department of Agriculture blog

When the holidays aren’t so happy

Gifts and celebrations, parties and lights, what’s not to like? Right?

But for some, the holiday season does not always feel festive and bright.

Here are five factors that can make maintaining the holiday spirit a struggle. — From Flourish, Palmetto Health’s blog

Don’t Waste Your Holiday Food

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By Adrianna Bradley

The holiday season is upon us and many of us are spending time with friends and family at holiday parties enjoying tasty dishes that we only indulge in once a year.

It’s all too easy to waste food around this time of year when our eating routines are all over the place. This year, we challenge you not to toss your holiday leftovers!

Cut down on food waste

Food waste is the No. 1 item thrown away by Americans, accounting for 21.6 percent of the nation’s waste in 2014, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  South Carolina produced over 600, 000 tons of food waste in fiscal year (FY) 2016 (July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016).

This holiday we encourage you to join the fight to cut down on food waste in our state. Send your guests home with leftovers in a reusable container. This not only helps clean out your fridge but it also keeps you from being stuck with a fridge full of leftovers that could go bad before you can eat it all. But make sure that your guest does not waste their leftovers too! It’s also helpful to allow self-serving so each person fixes the right amount of food they can consume without throwing it out.

If you’ve tired yourself out from creating new recipes with your leftovers, try feeding people instead of our landfills. In case you didn’t know, one in eight Americans struggle with hunger — including nearly 800,000 South Carolinians — according to Feeding America. Food donation is a great way to provide surplus food to those who need it while recycling your leftovers. Besides, isn’t this time of year also the season for giving?

Give composting a try

If you cannot donate or reuse your leftover, try composting it. Sending food waste to a composting facility or composting at home can improve soil health and structure, increase water retention, support native plants and reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides.

As you can see, there are several options to avoid sending things to our state’s landfills. It’s important that we Don’t Waste Food SC.

DHEC in the News: Recycle your leftovers, changes in daily rain, childhood ear infections

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Don’t waste Thanksgiving: Recycle your leftovers, grease

No holiday is more associated with food and eating than Thanksgiving. While it’s not the “waist” issue you might think about, it can definitely be a “waste” problem.

Recycle your leftovers

This Thanksgiving don’t toss your leftovers. Food waste is the No. 1 item thrown away by Americans, and the Department of Health & Environmental Control is leading an effort to cut down on food waste across South Carolina.

Changes in daily rain, not flood or drought, might leave South Carolina dry

Less rain is falling day to day in South Carolina. That could mean bigger trouble for water users and the environment than extreme storms or drought.

The unsettling finding comes from a recent study of more than 3,000 weather stations across the country, including several in the Palmetto State. The study also concluded that differences in the rainfall varied too much from one locality to another for any one-size-fits-all solution to compensate for it.

General Interest

Ear Infections in Childhood

This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. David White about diagnosing and treating ear infections (and chronic ear infections) in children.  Dr. White is a Professor in the College of Medicine and Director of the Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat Program at MUSC Children’s Health.