With Thanksgiving comes the tradition of cooking a turkey. Households all over the country are preparing for turkey time. Adults and children are dreaming of turkey and all the fixings. The aromas and human interactions make the season a real joyous time for me.
Unfortunately, there are some hazards associated with this season. Many households have a houseful of people, which means a big turkey is needed. Turkey stuffing is also a common demand of the season. Considering the large size of a bird filled with stuffing requires the turkey be thoroughly cooked. Cooking not only makes the turkey taste better but also protects us from a common infection associated with the season: Salmonellosis.
Salmonellosis is an infection caused by a number of bacteria in the genus Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four toseven7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Thursday you are eating turkey and by Friday you could be hastily rushing to the restroom. Not a good outcome for the holiday.
A recent news release from the USDA indicates that about 13 percent of turkeys available commercially in the U.S. are contaminated with Salmonella.That means that one to two turkeys in 10 contain this bacterium in or on them. The percentage is just an estimate (educated guess) of the actual number of contaminated turkeys. Oftentimes these estimates are low and some areas may have higher levels of contamination than others. It all depends on the turkey processor and the processes they use to lower the levels of Salmonella contamination.
I am not suggesting you give up on this wonderful turkey tradition. Proper handling, preparation and cooking of the turkey can eliminate Salmonella from the turkey. To kill the Salmonella the meat must get up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit or 83 degrees Celsius. The following TURKEY rules will help you and yours avoid this holiday-dampening disease (for more information click here).
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