Irish households have been warned of the dangers of not cooking food properly in the run up to Christmas Day.
Research undertaken on behalf of Safefood indicates that while 82 per cent of households will buy a turkey to cook on December 25th, many people ignore the proper cooking guidelines.
According to the research, just 28 per cent of household correctly estimate cooking time based on weight, meaning that the chances of food poisoning occurring are high.
Safefood has teamed up with well-known chef and restaurateur, Neven Maguire to launch new turkey cooking guidelines for electric, fan assisted ovens to produce the safest and tastiest turkey this Christmas.
Consumers can visit the Safefood website
safefood.euor text "stuffed" or "unstuffed" plus the weight of their bird in kilograms to 51500 to get the recommended cooking time for their turkey.
"Improper cooking can lead to the spread of harmful bacteria, which could cause serious illness. Regardless of what cooking method, timings or recipe you use, always ensure your turkey is properly cooked by checking that there is no pink meat in the thickest part of the breast and thigh, the juices run clear and the meat is piping hot throughout," advised Dr David McCleery, a microbiologist with Safefood.
Previous Safefood consumer research revealed that 6 in 10 people on the island of Ireland stuff the turkey cavity and almost a quarter stuff the neck. Safefood advises that Christmas Day cooks should ensure that stuffing is loosely packed in the cavity and be no more than 10 per cent of the weight of the bird.
Consumers should also check that the stuffing in cavity-stuffed turkeys, is piping hot at the centre as this is the slowest point to cook in stuffed turkeys.
Safefood also reminds people to thoroughly wash their hands and any surfaces that come into contact with raw turkey, and ensure any frozen turkey is thoroughly defrosted before cooking, so that Christmas dinner will be a safe and enjoyable experience.
