FAQs

​You can choose either wood or a nonporous surface cutting board. Research shows that nonporous surfaces, such as plastic, marble, tempered glass, and pyroceramic are easier to clean than wood. Wood surfaces are considered porous. Once cutting boards become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, you should replace them. Even plastic boards wear out over time.

The USDA recommends three ways to defrost turkeys: in the refrigerator, in cold water and in the microwave. Never defrost turkey on the counter or in other locations.

Most pathogens are destroyed between 140 and 160 °F. However, for best quality, meat and poultry require various temperatures for "doneness." A chart, listing safe internal temperatures for many foods, is part of the brochure Use A Food Thermometer, featuring Thermy™. For more information, visit the Thermy™ Web pages. The temperatures on the chart are recommended for consumer cooking. They are not intended for processing, institutional, or foodservice preparation. Food service professionals should consult their state or local food code.

Today some unbroken fresh shell eggs may contain certain bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. The bacteria are Salmonella enteritidis. While the number of eggs affected is quite small, there have been some scattered outbreaks in the last few years. Currently the government, the egg industry and the scientific community are working together to solve the problem.

Avian influenza (AI) is a disease found among poultry. AI viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese and guinea fowl as well as a wide variety of other birds, including migratory waterfowl. Each year, there is a flu season for birds just as there is for humans and, as with people, some forms of the flu are worse than others.