RINSE THE TURKEY? NOT SO FAST
HERE is one less kitchen task to do this Thanksgiving, as unappealing as it may sound. Don't wash the turkey. The federal government's proposed 2005 dietary guidelines advise cooks not to rinse poultry. The turkey should go straight from bag to pan to avoid spreading potentially deadly bacteria like salmonella or campylobacter all over the kitchen. "The risk of cross-contamination through washing poultry is far greater than shoving it in the oven without washing it, which makes the risk almost zero," said Fergus Clydesdale, who runs the food science department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mr. Clydesdale was on the Agriculture Department's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which ended work this fall and whose guidelines are expected to be adopted early next year. According to the guidelines, which are revised every five years, rinsing is one of the most common ways bacteria contaminate food. "It's pretty simple and logical," said Lydia Medeiros, an assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio State University. "When you wash the poultry, you have to think of where that bacteria is going. The water splashes on the counter and goes into the sink and gets into the crevices around the drain. You're actually setting up colonies of pathogens." Not washing the Thanksgiving turkey may be a radical change in protocol for many home cooks. But it is not the first time government safety recommendations have bumped up against the opinion of cooks, particularly Thanksgiving cooks. Experts at the Department of Agriculture have long recommended forgoing the flavor a roasting bird can lend to stuffing, suggesting that the side dish instead be cooked in a separate pan. The concern is that the core of the turkey, when stuffed, might not reach a pathogen-killing 165 degrees. Government scientists also suggest cooking the turkey with a thermometer in its thigh until the temperature reaches 180 degrees: a temperature so high it can render the turkey too dry, said Chris Kimball, the editor of Cook's Illustrated. The cooks in his test kitchen recommend a temperature of 170 degrees for thighs. Breast meat is at its best 10 degrees lower, he said. "I'm not against food safety," Mr. Kimball said. "But I'm not eating turkey cooked to 180 degrees, thank you very much." Rinsing is a part of Mr. Kimball's routine. Because brining is often believed to make the bird more tender, he soaks his turkey in a salt solution for four hours before roasting. But a brined turkey that is not rinsed would be too salty to eat. Brining slows down the growth of bacteria but does not kill it, said Linda Harris, a microbiologist at the University of California, Davis. She and other food scientists have been trying to get Americans to stop rinsing poultry since the late 1990's. Certainly a thorough hand washing with hot water and soap and an equally attentive sink scrubbing would eliminate much of the risk of cross-contamination, but meticulous sink and counter maintenance often goes out the window, particularly on Thanksgiving, when cooks are dealing with high volumes of food and the distraction of a houseful of guests. "I just don't believe people are that good," Ms. Harris said about sanitation. Cooks should also watch out for that other pathogen fest: leaving cooked food on the counter for long periods. "You get caught up watching football or playing cards and then get back in the kitchen and eventually get the turkey carved up, but you've given the microorganisms the perfect environment to multiply," Ms. Harris said. Salmonella and campylobacter are the bacteria most likely to cause food poisoning on Thanksgiving. Salmonella poisoning feels like the flu and hits within 12 to 72 hours. Aches, fever, cramps and diarrhea are common. Most people recover within a week, but for children, the elderly and people with impaired immune systems, it can be fatal. Symptoms of campylobacter poisoning are similar but hit two to five days later. Poultry rinsing has long been a point of contention. Julia Child was a chicken washer, a point she debated with her television cooking partner, Jacques Pépin, who does not rinse. Gourmet magazine's executive food editor, Zanne Stewart, said she will wash her turkey. "The juices don't feel good to me," Ms. Stewart said. "I want it to feel clean." But she will also be washing everything in her kitchen, down to the faucet handles. "I pretty much treat poultry as if it has a radiation cloud around it," she said. Source: Adapted from an article by Kim Severson in the New York Times lr smiles --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
