Fotolia

Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away, and if you’re serving the big meal, you’re probably focused on getting your turkey and all the trimmings ready. I don’t mean to be a downer, but you probably want to direct some attention to an unwanted dinner guest: bacteria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne diseases, such as salmonella, listeria, and toxoplasma, are responsible for 76 million illnesses; 325,000 hospitalizations; and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Of course, these don’t all happen around the holidays, but since people are dealing with crowded counter space, defrosted turkeys, and multiple distractions, it’s often a time of higher risk.

There’s no need to add extra stress to your day worrying about bacteria. Here’s your game plan for staying safe at every critical point.

Pregame
Your opponent: Bacteria on your bird

Best defense: If you’re using a frozen turkey, defrost it in the refrigerator on the lowest shelf, with a pan or large plate below it to catch any drips. Keep in mind that a 20-pound bird will take four days to defrost (1 day in the fridge for every 5 pounds). You don’t want to have to put a half-frozen bird in your sink in an attempt to defrost it at the last minute—that’s a recipe for food-safety misfortune.

Don’t rinse your turkey (or other meat) before cooking it. Why? All you’ll do is spread more bacteria around your sink. If you cook your food to a proper temperature (more on that soon), you’ll be fine.

Your opponent: Cross-contamination

Best defense: All you need to do is drip some turkey juices on your countertop or cutting board, then prep your raw vegetables on those surfaces, and bam, you’ve spread salmonella. Avoid mishaps by using two cutting boards: one for vegetables and fruit, and a separate one for meat. I prefer cutting boards that can be put directly in the dishwasher, like those made of plastic and ceramic. Bacteria on the surface of food can be transferred to knives and surfaces, so be sure to rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before slicing and dicing.

Your opponent: Bacteria on your hands

Best defense: Get those paws soapy, and rinse under running water before and after each time you handle food, especially the bird. Scrub for 20 seconds, rinse, and then either dry your hands on a paper towel or a dry dish towel that you just pulled out that morning. Make sure to wash dish towels, aprons, and such on the hot cycle when it’s laundry time. (I like to separate super gross dish towels in a plastic bag until I can wash them.)

Your opponent: Spills on the counter

Best defense: Clean up all meat and gravy drips immediately with a paper towel (a sponge is just going to spread bacteria around) and either hot, soapy water, or a kitchen spray with chlorine in it.

Next: The main event