Holiday Dinner Food Safety
As the holiday dinner preparations begin to get underway, it's important to ensure a safe and tasty meal.
Follow these tips to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness:
- Always wash your hands with soap and water, before AND after handling food.
- When preparing raw foods, keep them separate from ready-to-eat and cooked foods.
- Never thaw turkey or chicken at room temperature.
- Thaw a frozen turkey or chicken in its original packaging by placing it in the refrigerator, in a leak proof container, preferably on the bottom shelf.
- Once thawed, stuff the turkey or chicken, and cook right away.
- Cook the turkey or chicken thoroughly to a temperature of 180°F or 82°C. Use a food thermometer to take temperatures of the thickest part of the turkey or chicken.
- Cook the stuffing to a safe temperature of 165°F or 74°C.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly after the meal (within two hours).
These tips will help you enjoy a trouble free, foodborne illness free meal! More food safety handling procedures can be found here:
- Holiday food safety
- Poultry Safety
- The federal Public Health Notice on Salmonella Illnesses Linked to Raw Turkey and Raw Chicken was issued to remind Canadians of the importance of safe food handling procedures
Approximate Timetable for Roasting a Turkey at 325°F (160°C) |
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Roasting Times |
Barbeque Times |
|
Weight |
Stuffed |
Unstuffed |
Unstuffed |
3.0 – 3.5 kg (6 – 8 lbs) |
3 – 3 ¼ hours |
2 ½ – 2 ¾ hours |
1 – 1 ¾ hours |
3.5 – 4.5 kg (8 – 10 lbs) |
3 ¼ – 3 ½ hours |
2 ¾ – 3 hours |
1 ¼ – 2 hours |
4.5 – 5.5 kg (10 – 12 lbs) |
3 ½ – 3 ¾ hours |
3 – 3 ¼ hours |
1 ½ – 2 ¼ hours |
5.5 – 9.0 kg (12 – 16 lbs) |
3 ¾ – 4 hours |
3 ¼ – 3 ½ hours |
2 – 2 ¾ hours |
7.0 – 9.0 kg (16 – 20 lbs) |
4 ¼ – 4 ¾ hours |
3 ¾ – 4 ½ hours |
2 ½ – 3 ¼ hours |
9.0 – 10.9 kg (20 – 24 lbs) |
4 ¾ – 5 ½ hours |
4 – 5 hours |
3 ¾ – 4 ½ hours |
Public Health |
