Help Is Available for Questions Related to Preparing A Turkey

For information about preparing and roasting a turkey, visit http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/thanksgiving_plan.html

For more information about food safety, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at:

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

You can also e-mail mphotline.fsis@usda.gov or visit “Ask Karen,” the FSIS web-based automated response system available 24/7 at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/

Tips for Roasting Your Turkey

Tips for Roasting Your Turkey

• Set your oven temperature no lower than 325°F.
• Place your turkey or turkey breast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
• For optimum safety, stuffing a turkey is not recommended. For more even cooking, it is recommended you cook your stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole dish. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the stuffing. The stuffing must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
• If you choose to stuff your turkey, the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time; however, keep wet and dry ingredients separate. Chill all of the wet ingredients (butter/margarine, cooked celery and onions, broth, etc.). Mix wet and dry ingredients just before loosely filling the turkey cavity. Cook the turkey immediately. Use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing and the turkey reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
• A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
• For safety’s sake, don’t rely solely on the turkey’s pop-up doneness indicator. Use a thermometer to double-check that the temperature of the turkey in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast reaches 165° F.
• For quality, let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before carving to allow juices to set. The turkey will carve more easily.
• Remove all stuffing from the turkey cavities.

Use these approximate timetables to determine how long to cook your turkey. Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your turkey and stuffing. 
Roast the turkey at 325 degrees.

Thawed, unstuffed cooking time:
--4 to 8 pounds (breast)--1.5 to 3.25 hours; 
8 to 12 pounds--2.75 to 3 hours; 12 to 14 pounds--3 to 3.75 hours; 14 to 18 pounds--3.75 to 4.25 hours;
18 to 20 pounds--4.5 to 5 hours; 
20 to 24 pounds--4.5 to 5 hours


Thawed, stuffed cooking time:
4 to 6 pounds (breast)--not usually applicable; 
6 to 8 pounds (breast)--2.5 to 3.5 hours;
8 to 12 pounds--3 to 3.5 hours;
12 to 14 pounds---3.5 to 4 hours;
 14 to 18 pounds--4 to 4.25 hours; 
18 to 20 pounds--4.25 to 4.75 hours; 
20 to 24 pounds--4.75 to 5.25 hours.

Source: Barbara Ingham, UW-Extension Food Safety Specialist

Turkey Fryer Safety

Turkey Fryer Safety

Many people find using a turkey fryer a great way to prepare their Thanksgiving turkey. It is hard to beat the speed of deep-frying a turkey—or the irresistible flavor and juiciness that result. But turkey fryers have the potential to cause fire and serious injury, which is why organizations like Underwriters Laboratories and the National Fire Protection Association advise against using them.

If you plan to deep-fry your holiday bird, be sure you know how to safely use the fryer, and take these precautions to protect yourself, your guests and your home:
1. Keep outdoor fryers off decks, out of garages and a safe distance away from trees and other structures.
2. Make sure the turkey is thawed and dry before cooking. Ice or water that mixes into the hot oil can cause flare-ups.
3. Watch the weather. Never operate a fryer outdoors in the rain or snow.
4. Place the fryer on a level surface, and avoid moving it once it’s in use.
5. Leave 2 feet between the tank and the burner when using a propane-powered fryer.
6. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid overfilling. Oil can ignite when it makes contact with the burner.
7. Choose a smaller turkey for frying. A bird that's 8 to 10 pounds is best; pass on turkeys over 12 pounds.
8. Never leave fryers unattended.
9. Purchase a fryer with temperature controls, and watch the oil temperature carefully. Cooking oil that is heated beyond its smoke point can catch fire. If you notice the oil is smoking, turn the fryer off.
10. Turn off the burner before lowering the turkey into the oil. Once the turkey is submerged, turn the burner on.
11. Wear goggles to shield your eyes, use oven mitts to protect your hands and arms and keep a grease-rated fire extinguisher close by.
12. Skip the stuffing when frying turkey, and avoid water-based marinades.
13. Keep children and pets away from the fryer at all times.
14. Once finished, carefully remove the pot from the burner, place it on a level surface and cover to let the oil cool overnight before disposing.
15. Opt for an oil-less fryer. This uses infrared heat, rather than oil, to cook the turkey.

Fresh or Frozen Turkey: Gret Ready for Thanksgiving

Fresh or Frozen Turkey: Get Ready for Thanksgiving

Perhaps the biggest holiday meal of the year is just around the corner. Thanksgiving brings families together from all across the state to share a meal that often centers on roast turkey and all the fixings. To help you prepare the holiday meal here are some helpful hints.

Whether you choose a fresh or frozen turkey is up to you. But for both fresh and frozen, allow one pound of turkey per person.

If the turkey is fresh, buy it only one to two days before you plan to cook it, and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to place it in the oven. Place a fresh turkey in a pan or on a tray on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator; the pan will catch any juices that may leak. Do not buy fresh pre-stuffed turkeys.

If your turkey is frozen, keep it frozen until you’re ready to thaw it. There are three ways to safely thaw your turkey: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in a microwave oven. Plan ahead as thawing does that time.

Thawing your turkey
--Refrigerator (40°F or below): Keep the turkey in its original wrapper. Thaw in the refrigerator on a tray or in a pan to catch drips. Once it is completely thawed, the turkey may be stored in the refrigerator an additional 1 to 2 days before cooking. Allow 4-5 days to thaw an average 20-pound turkey in the refrigerator.
--In cold water: Make sure the turkey is securely wrapped so that water is not able to leak into the package. It’s usually best to keep the turkey wrapped in the original package. Completely submerge the turkey in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes as the water starts to warm. Turkeys thawed in this way should be cooked immediately after thawing. Do not refrigerate or refreeze.

Here are some thawing guidelines.
--Size of turkey: 4 to 12 pounds--thaw 1 to 3 days in the refrigerator or 2 to 6 hours in cold water; 
12 to 16 pounds--3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 6 to 8 hours in cold water; 
16 to 20 pounds--4 to 5 days in the refrigerator or 8 to 10 hours in cold water; 
20 to 24 pounds--5 to 6 days in the refrigerator or 10 to 12 hours in cold water.
--Thawing In the microwave oven: Check your owner’s manual for the size turkey that will fit in your microwave, the minutes per pound and the power level to use for thawing. Remove all outside wrapping and place on a microwave-safe dish to catch any juices that may leak. Cook your turkey immediately after thawing. Do not refreeze or refrigerate a turkey after microwave thawing.

Source: Barbara Ingham, UW-Extension Food Safety Specialist

Wisconsin Shoppers can Expect Thanksgiving Dinner a Little Less Expensive

Wisconsin Shoppers can Expect Thanksgiving Dinner a Little Less Expensive

For the second year in a row, Wisconsin shoppers can expect Thanksgiving dinner to be a little less expensive.

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau says the average price of a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year is $48.40. That's about 50 cents cheaper than it was last year.
It's also a little cheaper than the national average, which is just over $49.
The average price for a 16-pound turkey in Wisconsin is $22.40. That's about 30 cents cheaper than last year. But Wisconsin residents can expect to pay slightly more for items such as milk, rolls and peas.
The bureau calculates the average cost of a dinner for ten (10), which would include such standards as turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberries.



Boost the Value of Your Food Drive Donations

Boost the Value of Your Food Drive Donations

There are a number of food drives that occur in the Green Bay area during the holiday season. These food drives are key to filling local food pantry shelves this time of year. By keeping a few simple tips in mind, you can enhance the value of the food donations you make.

It’s important to remember that donated food is most helpful if it is both safe and high quality. Make sure to check the dates on packages of foods that you donate, advises Ingham.

--Quality or pack dates are often designated on packages by the words "Better if used by...” and a date. Look for these dates on packaged mixes, cold cereals, peanut butter, and increasingly, on canned items like fruits and vegetables. These dates mean that after the quality date, the food will begin to lose its flavor and may even develop an off flavor. Donate only foods that are well within the quality dates marked on the package.

--Expiration dates include information such as "Expires 2/15/13" or "Do not use after 7/9/13." Look for these dates on vitamins, yeast, baking powder and cake mixes. Do not donate foods that are past their expiration date.

--Pull dates. Example: "Sell by May 16.” Look for these dates on perishable, refrigerated foods such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream, eggs, lunchmeat and packaged salad mixes. Perishable foods, with the exception of garden produce, are usually not included in a food drive. If they are, choose foods that are well within the pull date.

Are home-canned foods, fresh eggs or produce safe to donate? Food pantries often welcome donations of fresh produce. However, home-canned foods, meat or eggs that have not been handled by licensed food processors should not be donated.

Avoid giving sugary cereals, salty noodle mixes, and fruit-flavored beverages that might be easy to donate, but difficult for families to include in nutritious meals. Instead, donate foods that have a stable shelf life, are full of nutrients and easy to prepare. Good examples of foods to consider are:

--Canned vegetables, especially those without added salt.

--Fruits canned in juice, unsweetened applesauce, 100-percent fruit juice and dried fruit such as raisins or   craisins.

--Canned meats and fish, such as chicken, ham, beef, tuna and salmon. Do not donate meat canned at home.

--Peanuts and peanut butter.

--Whole grain, low-sugar cereals such as plain instant oatmeal, whole grain Os, and bran flakes.

--Whole grain or enriched pasta and instant rice—either brown or enriched. Boxed noodle and rice dishes can be an easy starting point for a one-dish meal.

--Whole grain crackers (especially reduced-sodium) and popcorn.

--Spaghetti sauce, salsa and canned beans, including baked beans.

--Reduced-sodium broth and soups.

Source: Barbara Ingham, food safety specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension & Amber Canto, poverty and food security specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension

Becoming Familiar with an Old Appliance - The Pressure Cooker

Becoming Familiar with an Old Appliance – The Pressure Cooker

I co-taught a class recently on using a pressure cooker and had someone stop yesterday for a lesson on using this appliance. I hear more people talking about wanting to learn how to use a pressure cooker.

Pressure cookers heat food quickly because the internal steam pressure from the boiling liquid causes saturated steam ("wet steam") to bombard and permeate the food. Thus, higher temperature water vapor (i.e., increased energy), which transfers heat more rapidly compared to dry air, cooks food very quickly

Pressure cookers are a great time saving appliance. Here are some tips for using this appliance which may have been sitting on the shelf in the pantry for a long time.

• Read the instruction book to become familiar with this appliance if you have not used it for a while.

• When converting conventional recipes for use in a pressure cooker, experience is the best teacher. A rule of thumb is to decrease the length of cooking time for a conventional recipe by two-thirds. The amount of liquid used may also have to be adjusted because there is very little evaporation from the pressure cooker. Decrease the amount of liquid so there is only about ½ cup more than desired in the finished product.

• Quick cool is used for delicate foods such as custards, fruits and vegetables. To quick cool a pressure cooker, place the cooker under cold running water or place in a pan or sink full of cold water. For foods like roasts and stews, it is usually recommended to let the pressure cooker cool on its own by setting it aside until the pressure drops.

• If you have not used your pressure cooker for a period of time, check the gasket (if there is one) to make sure it is pliable. If you need a new gasket, take the entire pan with you as there is a number on the bottom of the pan that is helping in ensuring the correct size gasket is chosen.

• Grains can cause the vent pipe of the pressure cooker to become blocked. To prevent blockage from occurring, grains must be prepared in a bowl covered with aluminum foil in the pressure cooker. The bowl can be metal, like stainless steel, or oven-safe glass. The bowl should not extend above the two-thirds full mark on the cooker.

Good Bye Trans Fats

Good Bye Trans Fats

The amount of trans fat being put in our food has declined by more than 50 percent since about 2005. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out all trans fats, saying they are a threat to people's health. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the move could prevent 20,000 heart attacks a year and 7,000 deaths.

Hamburg said that while the amount of trans fats in the country's diet has declined dramatically in the last decade, they "remain an area of significant public health concern." The trans fats have been criticized for a number of years.

To phase them out, the FDA said it had made a preliminary determination that trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally recognized as safe" category, which is reserved for thousands of additives that manufacturers can add to foods without FDA review. Once trans fats are off the list, anyone who wants to use them would have to petition the agency for a regulation allowing it, and that would be unlikely to be approved.

Trans fat is widely considered the worst kind for your heart, even worse than saturated fat, which can also contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants, often to improve the texture, shelf life or flavor of foods. They are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydrogenated oils. 

Scientists say there are no health benefits to trans fats, and they can raise so-called "bad" cholesterols, increasing the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.

Though they have been removed from many items, the fats are still found in processed foods, including some microwave popcorns and frozen pizzas, refrigerated doughs and ready-to-use frostings. They are also sometimes used by restaurants that use the fats for frying.

Boost the Value of Your Food Drive Donations

                  Boost the Value of Your Food Drive Donations

Community groups and social organizations often host food drives to fill local food pantry shelves this time of year. By keeping a few simple tips in mind, you can enhance the value of the food donations you make.

It’s important to remember that donated food is most helpful if it is both safe and high quality. Make sure to check the dates on packages of foods that you donate.

--Quality or pack dates are often designated on packages by the words "Better if used by...” and a date. Look for these dates on packaged mixes, cold cereals, peanut butter, and increasingly, on canned items like fruits and vegetables. These dates mean that after the quality date, the food will begin to lose its flavor and may even develop an off flavor. Donate only foods that are well within the quality dates marked on the package.

--Expiration dates include information such as "Expires 2/15/13" or "Do not use after 7/9/13." Look for these dates on vitamins, yeast, baking powder and cake mixes. Do not donate foods that are past their expiration date.
--Pull dates. Example: "Sell by May 16.” Look for these dates on perishable, refrigerated foods such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream, eggs, lunchmeat and packaged salad mixes. Perishable foods, with the exception of garden produce, are usually not included in a food drive. If they are, choose foods that are well within the pull date.

Besides looking for a date, be sure to check the integrity of the package. To ensure that the food has not been contaminated, donate only foods from unopened packages. Avoid foods with packaging that shows signs of leakage or damage. Ingham urges consumers not to donate canned items that have broken seams or large dents. Your donation only makes a difference in the life of someone in need if the product donated is within the date marked and of good quality. If you question the integrity of the product or wouldn’t feed it to your family, it is probably best not to donate it.

Are home-canned foods, fresh eggs or produce safe to donate? Food pantries often welcome donations of fresh produce. However, home-canned foods, meat or eggs that have not been handled by licensed food processors should not be donated.

Avoid donating sugary cereals, salty noodle mixes, and fruit-flavored beverages that might be easy to donate, but difficult for families to include in nutritious meals. Instead, donate foods that have a stable shelf life, are full of nutrients and easy to prepare. Good examples of foods to consider are:

--Canned vegetables, especially those without added salt.
--Fruits canned in juice, unsweetened applesauce, 100-percent fruit juice and dried fruit such as raisins or craisins.
--Canned meats and fish, such as chicken, ham, beef, tuna and salmon. Do not donate meat canned at home.
--Peanuts and peanut butter.
--Whole grain, low-sugar cereals such as plain instant oatmeal, whole grain Os, and bran flakes.
--Whole grain or enriched pasta and instant rice—either brown or enriched. Boxed noodle and rice dishes can be an easy starting point for a one-dish meal.
--Whole grain crackers (especially reduced-sodium) and popcorn.
--Spaghetti sauce, salsa and canned beans, including baked beans.
--Reduced-sodium broth and soups.
--Low-fat salad dressings or spreads, and condiments such as ketchup or mustard.
--Baby food is a very welcome donation. Just be sure to donate well within the date marked on the containers.

Sources: Barb Ingham, UW-Extension Food Safety Specialist and Amber Canto, Poverty and Food Security Specialist,UWisconsin-Extension



Growing Wisconsin Magazine Showcases State Agriculture

Growing Wisconsin Magazine Showcases State Agriculture

Introducing the Growing Wisconsin magazine. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is excited to present this 56-page full color publication as a way to connect readers with our state’s agricultural community.

“Wisconsin agriculture has a great story to tell, and this magazine not only offers an opportunity to showcase our thriving industry but to highlight for the world what Wisconsin has to offer,” said DATCP Secretary Ben Brancel. “I hope readers will enjoy stories about the farms and businesses that make Wisconsin strong.”

This privately funded publication is designed to showcase Wisconsin’s diverse agricultural industry that contributes $59 billion to our state’s economy. This magazine also highlights the agency’s work to ensure a fair marketplace for both consumers and honest businesses through the Trade and Consumer Protection division.

Growing Wisconsin includes stories about family-owned dairy farms and the growing number of local wineries and breweries. You can learn more about your Wisconsin-grown Christmas tree or our tasty specialty meats and cheeses. Also featured is Wisconsin’s leadership role in agricultural exports, technology and research.

The Growing Wisconsin magazine will be distributed, free of charge, to public places around the state such as doctors’ offices, veterinarian clinics, chambers of commerce and libraries. Copies will also be available in the lobby of DATCP, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison. The goal is to educate rural and urban communities alike about the impact agriculture has on all our lives.

Look for the magazine near you or read the digital version of Growing Wisconsin by going to www.wiagriculture.com. Share the link and help tell the story of Wisconsin agriculture to the state, country and the world.

It’s all about Growing Wisconsin. To learn more, contact Jim Dick, DATCP’s Communications Director, at  jim.dick@wi.gov.

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Canning Meat Class - November 12, 2013

Canning Meat Class - November 12th

Due to popular demand a second Canning Meat Class has been added for Tuesday, November 12th.  During Canning Meat Class you will be given instruction on how to can venison and salmon by using a pressure canner.  The class will take place at the Brown County UW-Extension building, 1150 Bellevue Street, Green Bay.  The Canning Meat Class will begin at 6:30 pm.  To register you may call (920) 391-4610, or click the link Canning Meat - November 12th .   The cost of the class is $7.00.  You may make a payment online or make the payment at the door.