Turkey lurkey do and Turkey lurkey don't


 
Bob Correll

Bob Correll

R.I.P. 3/31/2022
To paraphrase Adam Sadler's Thanksgiving song.
This post pertains to don't.

I'm fanatical about food safety, and food prep cleanliness, but apparently screwed up.
Last week I took a turkey breast out of the freezer, and put it in the spare fridge to thaw.
I was surprised to find that it was mostly thawed by day 2, but waited a couple more days to cook it on the kettle.
Smelled fine, but I do know that's not a reliable test.
Looked good, cooked it to 165 before resting/cooling, and then it went in the fridge overnight before slicing.
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Something in the back of my mind had me concerned, so I only ate a very small bite before storing it back in the fridge.
About 4 hours later I was beating a path to the john, which is rare for me.
I can't be 100% sure it was the turkey, but nothing else that I ate should have caused this.
Needless to say, it all went in the trash, and anything that touched it went into the dishwasher.

I haven't yet, but will be checking the temp of our spare fridge.
Just posting as a word of warning, one can never be too careful.
 
I would have thought the cooking would have pasteurized the meat. I'm glad you only took a nibble cause I've had food poisoning and it ain't funny. That's the very reason I treat poultry like Kryptonite.
 
I've been down that road and back. I treat all thing cooked and cooked on or in like a hospital sterilization tools. I'm almost a fanatic, constantly cleaning. I have a little OCD, I got it when I got married. I'm very particular. Watching who is doing what and how. I may go hungry depending on what I see and who's doing the cooking. Thanks for sharing, nothing like being safe.
 
I appreciate the advise and concern for others Bob. Would like to expand on this a little if i may with a point to make and a question. First about two months ago I had bought a nice 13lb packer brisket from restaurant depo. I kept in my fridge at the bottom shelf. When I went and opened it on Saturday to prep for the cook it had a very off smell to it. Not a beef butcher shop smell but an off smell. Chucked it would not take a chance. Fridge temp said 37. something was wrong.
Went and bought two commercial fridge guages and stuck them in both of my fridges. Both fridges were reading over 40 ( 41 & 40 ) at the lowest spot.
Had my answer. The newer fridge turned all the way down just breaks into 39, the old fridge turned almost all the way down is at 37 now.
Two is one and one is none. Don't trust the temp gauges on them.
My question is this, if you have a meat like your turkey and say it is starting to get some type of bacteria in it and you cook it to a safe temp for a good period of time does that not kill the bacteria?
What temp did you get your bird to?
And of course have you checked your fridge independently, I was shocked with what I found on mine.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.

Bill,
I cooked it to 165 and thought that would kill any bad stuff too, and maybe it did.
After checking the spare fridge's temp, I found it was about 40, so I set it lower. (no built in therm on it)
I'm convinced that the turkey breast had went bad, and I think the problem was cross contamination, even though I'm very careful about such.
I'm very suspect of the sponge wand, with built in soap dispenser, that I often use.

As a side note Bill, not saying your brisket wasn't bad, but I've never opened a cry-o-vac pack of meat that didn't smell funky until it was out for awhile.
 
That suck Bob. Wife periodically soaks the sponge in bleach or at least 2 mins in the microwave. No sense throwing it out after every other use.
 
Don't know what went wrong with the turkey but if it was over 40F?? Most briskets available to me are in Cryovac and I agree with Bob sometimes they smell off but aren't. Apparently they are safe under proper conditions for something like 66 days. Look for the kill date or expiry date. Nothing smells like fresh meat!
 
My wife insists that I change the sponge and dishtowel every day! And any utensils or cutting boards that touch poultry, are immediately washed in hot soapy water. I agree with Bob that we need to be careful.

Ray
 
Just a tip from another OCD clean freak.

I keep a spray bottle under the sink with ammonia and water. After handling raw foods, I clean the area with soap and water, then spray it down with the ammonia, let it sit for a minute and wipe it up.
 
Thats what I do Darren, unless it's boiling soap and water just spread it around. Bleach or ammonia in the water spray kill it.
 
Some years ago, and I've seen this in other places as well, Kevin Kruger (see his compilation) suggested two spray bottles. One with 5% vinegar and the other with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Spray area to be cleaned in any order. No bleach or ammonia needed. I don't want to be smelling bleach or ammonia or getting either one on dishes, utensils etc. Works great. Nothing has gotten to me using them
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ho...se-hydrogen-peroxide-clean-your-home?page=all
Here is one of Kevin's posts referring to apple cider vinegar. In other places he mentioned 5% vinegar. QUOTE The big deal with wood cutting board is to wash them well and dry them well. Bacteria do not like dry conditions and you don't want a board to sit wet anyway. Hot soapy water and a plastic scrubby thing. I also keep two spray bottles handy, one with hydrogen peroxide and the other with apple cider vinegar. Spray on one and then the other (doesn't matter in what order), allow to sit for a few moments, scrub if needed, wipe off, dry. Cheap and effective and food safe, and a convenient way to clean if the board is a large one.
 
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I'm pretty sure ammonia is not nearly as effective as chlorine bleach.
I normally sanitize with bleach water, 1 TBS. per gallon, but think I'll try KK's method.
Thanks for posting that Dave!
 
It is not the bacteria itself that causes food poisoning it the waste product of the bacteria. That waste product is toxic and is not destroyed by heat.
 
Ray Crick said:
My wife insists that I change the sponge and dishtowel every day! And any utensils or cutting boards that touch poultry, are immediately washed in hot soapy water. I agree with Bob that we need to be careful.

Ray
Click to expand...

...and I know we all use sponges (and I do too) but in the big commercial kitchen where my wife works , sponges are verboten ! The health inspector would freak if she found one in the kitchen. They use towels for everything and they go in the hamper once they get dirty. They call them kitchen cloths.
after hearing so much about how bad sponges are , I've taken to using kitchen towels a lot more ar home.
we also have a spray bottle of 5% bleach solution under the sink , and I use that daily.
 
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