Truth is, the illness most likely stems from food being contaminated during one of the preparation stages at home. Ms. Dick said contamination can be caused simply by not washing your hands after going to the bathroom or by reusing a surface that had raw meat on it before cleaning the surface. The prevention of food poisoning actually begins as soon as you leave the supermarket, said Ms. Dick. Leaving a turkey or ham out for an extended period of time, longer than four hours, while you complete the rest of your shopping can be a dangerous invitation for bacteria growth. Ms. Dick provides suggestions in preparing a fowl or ham in various stages from thawing, stuffing, cooking, setting and reheating.
Refrigerated thawing is the safest method to use if time permits.
An unwrapped turkey or hen should thaw slowly in the refrigerator. Place on the bottom rack or in a pan. Cold-water thawing can be used as a quicker thawing method. Immerse the frozen meat in cold water and let it remain until adequately thawed. Hot water is bad to use for thawing meat because it increases the temperature and will promote bacteria growth.