It as a precious morning, watching Good Morning America, with guest chef Sarah Moulton, and reveling over the cooking adventures of this year as well as the past. It is always enjoyable to watch the techniques of other chefs, especially with traditional dishes, and I found it interesting that though she talked about cooking times, I didn't catch what temperature those cooking times referred to.
She concluded by stating a common standard: Cook turkey to 160 degrees, checking the temperature in the inside of the thigh (make sure not to touch the bone however, because bones conduct heat and will not give you an accurate reading of the internal meat temperature). After the articles I posted last night, I had to ask myself why my Food Lover's Companion, (p. 126) says that poultry should be cooked to 180+.
Stuffing the bird does take longer to cook, but it helps flavor and retain moisture as well, allowing the bird to cook more evenly. This benefits more from slow cooking, but if not completely cooked, can result in the bacteria Salmonella surviving the crucible.
The reason is, of course, the insidious bacteria called Salmonella. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are over 40,000 diagnosed cases a year, and because it takes 3-7 days to incubate, many cases go unreported. Thus the importance of hand washing and cleaning hands, knives and cutting boards, to prevent cross-contamination from poultry, and the importance of washing tomatoes which, along with lettuces and other vegetables, can become unwitting carriers.
So protect the ones you love by wash hands surfaces as common decency requires, and be especially careful around the little ones.
Today's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is also the first one I watched with my son, which has made the today the most precious Thanksgiving yet, even though we had our turkey dinner on Tuesday. Our thoughts are with the Graffs in Guatemala, with whom we have spent so many wonderful holidays; DuaneScore, Brian Mace, Antony Amen and all thier compatriots in Iraq and Afganistan; parents and siblings, aunts and uncles; Linda and Richard Brexa; the Holzheys; the Townsleys; our dear friends in SF and all others who have at some point blessed our lives with friendship and love, and have helped us on the journey to reach our dreams.
Have a wonderful day and may Peace, Love, and Joy bless all your homes.
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