A warning before the Christmas feast: washing your turkey could be bad for your health.
A food safety group has put out a list of behaviours to be avoided over Christmas after finding two-thirds of people surveyed have the wrong idea about how to safely cook their festive fowl.
"The last thing your turkey needs is a bath before being cooked," chair of the Food Safety Information Council Rachelle Williams said.
"Cooking the turkey correctly to 75C in its thickest part is the best way to kill any bacteria present.
"Washing the raw turkey, or any other poultry, can spread food poisoning bacteria around your kitchen where it can contaminate your sink area and other food, utensils and your hands."
A national telephone survey of 1264 adults by the council found 68 per cent of people wash their turkey before cooking.
The other key Christmas pointers from the council, a charitable organisation focused on consumer food safety, are:
- Don't over-cater at the family lunch. Buying to much food will leave you with leftovers that won't fit in the fridge
- Don't put beer in the fridge. But do put it and other drinks on ice, meaning guests won't be constantly opening the fridge and the food inside will stay constantly cool
- Christmas ham won't last forever. Note the use-by date, check the storage instructions, cover the ham with clean cloth soaked in water and vinegar to stop it drying out and store below 5C in the fridge
- Don't leave food out for hours. Dips, salads, cold meats and other perishables should not be out of the fridge for more than two hours. Put out small portions and replace from the fridge
- Do fridge your leftovers. As soon as possible. No need to cool to room temperature. The council says as soon as cooked food has stopped steaming it can be divided into small containers for easy cooling and refrigerated or frozen.
