How To Accidentally Kill Your Guests This Thanksgiving

Got your attention? Good, because this is really important! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so I want to make sure everyone can enjoy it safely. That's why you should be careful because disaster lurks behind every corner on Turkey Day. Ok, maybe that's dramatic, but still, things can go terribly wrong.

Mistake #1 Incorrectly Thawing Turkey

In Minnesota & Wisconsin, most of us buy frozen turkeys and then thaw them out and cook them on Thanksgiving morning. How long do you thaw a big frozen turkey anyway? The USDA recommends 24 hours of thawing IN A REFRIGERATOR for every 4-5 pounds. So if you have a 20-pound turkey, you should put it in your refrigerator 5 days before Thanksgiving.

Make sure you keep it in the bag it's in so you don't have any turkey blood contaminating the fridge.

Do not let your turkey thaw at room temperature.

Don't thaw a turkey in room temperature. Some people just throw it in the sink and let it thaw, but that's dangerous. It will create a breeding ground for bacteria after just a couple of hours. The biggest concern of course is salmonella, which can make you very sick or even kill you.

Did you run out of time to thaw your bird? There are alternatives.

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Best quick thaw method - the cold water bath.

If you need to speed up your turkey thawing, submerge the turkey in cold water and change out that cold water every thirty minutes. It will significantly cut down the thawing time.

Defrost your turkey in the microwave.

I don't personally like this idea because it seems like a hassle, but the USDA says you can thaw your turkey in the microwave using the defrost settings for the weight.

Mistake #2 Blowing Up The Neighborhood

I remember the first time I deep-fried a turkey and nearly caught everything on fire. Deep frying a turkey is quicker, but here's the thing: The turkey needs to be completely thawed!

If you put a frozen turkey in 400-degree oil, it will erupt and spill the oil over. If the burner is on, the grease will ignite. Check this out:

My advice? Make sure your turkey is completely thawed and that it's not too big for the fryer. You don't want much more than a 16 or 17-pound turkey for a fryer. When you add the turkey to the oil, turn the burner off so if it does spill over it won't ignite. Then when it settles, start the burner again.

Mistake #3 Not cooking your turkey to temperature.

If you don't have a meat thermometer, why are you cooking meat? Poultry needs to cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees to be safe to eat.  There are some methods people use instead like twisting a turkey leg. (It's said that if the leg is loose that means the turkey is done.) But why risk it? The USDA recommends you pull the turkey at 165 and let it rest. I personally pull it a few degrees before that (like 160-162) and let it rest because the turkey will continue to cook internally for a while.