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Cooking a turkey? Here's how to make sure you avoid getting food poisoning

Here’s a few handy tips to make sure you don’t make yourself or anyone else sick with the Christmas turkey this year.

IT’S ALMOST CHRISTMAS Day, and many homes around the country are gearing up for the arrival of Santa with the preparations under way for several weeks already.

Many of us will be cooking a turkey to tuck into for Christmas dinner.

As you get ready to prepare this feast, food safety consultant Orlagh Deegan from Choice Training had this advice to make sure you avoid getting food poisoning from your turkey and have it ruin your Christmas.

First of all, she said, if you’ve picked up your turkey this morning make sure your fridge has been cleaned thoroughly beforehand.

If it needs to be defrosted, be sure to do so on the bottom shelf of your fridge, preferably in a large dish or tray so none of its juices contaminate the fridge.

Make sure the fridge is 5 degrees or below, and not too overpacked because a fridge breakdown would likely ruin a lot of the food in there without a chance to arrange a replacement.

Deegan said that under no circumstances should you wash the turkey as this spreads harmful bacteria around your sink and kitchen surfaces.

She also recommended handling the turkey as little as possible due to the potential spread of bacteria.

You should thoroughly wash your hands with warm soapy water before handling.

After preheating the oven to 180 degrees, place the turkey in a large roasting tray, cover it with foil and baste it every hour.

For turkeys less than 4kg in weight, you should cook them for 20 minutes per kg plus 70 minutes extra time.

For ones over 4kg, you should cook for 20 minutes per kg plus an extra 90 minutes.

A stuffed turkey will require additional time, too.

Once you take it out, make sure it’s fully cooked, with no pink meat, all the juice running clear and piping hot throughout. You should also let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before you start carving.

Leftovers can be eaten within the next three days. To make sure it stays safe, you should cool the meat as quickly as possible, cover it and put into the fridge within two hours.

Any further leftovers after three days should be thrown out, and you can only reheat the turkey once.

Happy feasting!

Read: This Christmas market is asking locals to bring elderly neighbours along to enjoy the festive fun

Read: Irish households to spend an average of €2,654 in the run up to Christmas

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    Mute Helen O'Neill
    Favourite Helen O'Neill
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:20 AM

    Great article, great respect for this man, fantastic doctor. Will definitely be reading his book!

    167
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    Mute Patricia Tsouros
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:21 AM

    Amazing Doctor –

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    Mute jamesdecay
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:34 AM

    A decent and honorable man. Stood as a rock of common sense against waves of bile. I suppose the trolls will be out for another nibble.

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    Mute Patricia Tsouros
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:21 AM

    Amazing Doctor –

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    Mute Liam Mernagh
    Favourite Liam Mernagh
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:29 AM

    Another Doctor who thinks he is God.

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    Mute Alan Dillon
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    Dec 1st 2019, 12:33 PM

    @Liam Mernagh: A Doctor who doesnt let religion get in the way of medical practice more like.

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    Mute Martin O'Reilly
    Favourite Martin O'Reilly
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    Dec 1st 2019, 1:57 PM

    @Liam Mernagh: Ok? Scientific evidence of your God in references please?

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    Mute Liam Mernagh
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    Dec 1st 2019, 5:30 PM

    @Martin O’Reilly: Do you know how to make a motor car?

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    Mute Liam Mernagh
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    Dec 1st 2019, 5:33 PM

    @Alan Dillon: Our civilisation in the main and our laws in general are based on the Christian concepts and ethos but I can understand that egotistical people might not want to bow the knee to a superior being.

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    Mute Martin O'Reilly
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    Dec 1st 2019, 7:59 PM

    @Liam Mernagh: Yes as a mechanical engineer, methinks I’d be up for it!

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    Mute Martin O'Reilly
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    Dec 1st 2019, 8:07 PM

    @Liam Mernagh: Now for your references, without further ado!

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    Mute Liam Mernagh
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    Dec 1st 2019, 9:38 PM

    @Martin O’Reilly: good, then you will understand that if a car has to be designed and parts designed and manufactured and then assembled in the correct fashion and adjusted a nd commissioned, you should be able to see how facile it is to think the universe happened by accident. Just look around yourself any day at the beautiful world and the seasons and say to yourself “What an accident “

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    Mute Liam Mernagh
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    Dec 1st 2019, 9:41 PM

    @Martin O’Reilly: when you get up in the morning take a look; open your eyes and take a good look at the beautiful world around you and the sho me your evidence for the accident.

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    Mute Grainnewhale
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    Dec 1st 2019, 9:59 PM

    Oh you’ve been attending him so – have you

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    Mute Martin O'Reilly
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:10 PM

    @Liam Mernagh: please stop rolling along with you pretentious pious claptrap. I am beginning to realise here that is hard to talk , chat to the converted. All I have questioned on is scientific DNA of your God or any of his so called fellow travelers dna being detected by Isotopic tests etc. Once and for all answer the question being put to you!

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    Mute Liam Mernagh
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    Dec 1st 2019, 11:02 PM

    @Martin O’Reilly: you show me your evidence to the contrary and desist from being abusive. If you feel that you have all the answers then that’s fine for you but it certainly takes a hell of an ego.

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    Mute Lyn Brookes
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    Dec 1st 2019, 12:42 PM

    The North West of Ireland is in the debt of Peter Boylan, he came to Leitrim and Donegal and Longford and stood for what he believed in, that meant a lot to campaigners here and we will never forget what he did and the abuse he took from anti choice people, you should hear how they hissed whenever Savita was mentioned. That woman died, no matter how they felt she died, that is the most disrespectful way to treat someone who had their young life cut short.

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    Mute Joe Mc
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:01 AM

    It’s funny how the Gov couldn’t find the money for free contraception but can fund abortion. It’s a bit backwards

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    Mute OnlyHereForTheComments
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    Dec 1st 2019, 11:19 PM

    @Joe Mc: Only if you think, like many of the people opposed to repealing the 8th, that abortion is in some way to be invoked solely as a means of contraception. It’s really quite a lazy position to take, but is generally in keeping with the church’s general distrust of women.

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    Mute Stephen Kearon
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    Dec 1st 2019, 12:32 PM

    A courageous gentleman who put the needs of his patients first. Thankfully religious contamination of medicine is ending

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    Mute pat seery
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    Dec 1st 2019, 12:23 PM

    Any word from the Vatican yet on the Hospital site at least with Peter you get the Facts
    Going to buy the book

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    Mute Martin O'Reilly
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    Dec 1st 2019, 1:59 PM

    Great man! Not forgetting Dr. Noel Browne either!

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    Mute Teresa Scanlon
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    Dec 2nd 2019, 9:24 AM

    Great respect for Peter Boylan

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