http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Seasonal_Food_Safety_Fact_Sheets/index.asp
Turkey Basics
Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF
Recommendations for take-out, deli-prepared, or convenience turkey dinners.
Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF
Roasting instructions and approximate cooking times.
Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF
A turkey must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. Learn three safe methods.
Turkey Basics: Stuffing | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF
For safety, prepare stuffing or dressing for the turkey according to these directions.
Countdown to the Thanksgiving Holiday | PDF | En Español | En Español PDF
Plan ahead to ease the countdown tension for your Thanksgiving meal.
Let's Talk Turkey–A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey | PDF | En Español
Every facet of getting a turkey from the store to the dinner table is included — buying fresh vs. frozen, safe thawing methods, stuffing, roasting, storing leftover turkey and reheating the leftovers.
Holiday Resources
Food Safety:
Hotline Answers "Panic Button" Food Safety Questions (.PDF File - During the holidays, people are busy and can sometimes forget that unsafe handling and cooking can lead to foodborne illness. Here are some questions callers have asked regarding the safety of their holiday foods.)
Mail Order Food Safety (.PDF File - These tips, and a comprehensive storage chart, will help the purchaser and recipient determine if their perishable foods have been handled properly.)
Food Safety for Those Glorious Holiday Goodies! (.PDF File - If any of your holiday recipes call for uncooked or lightly-cooked eggs, you can modify them by cooking the eggs thoroughly. From the Partnership for Food Safety Education.)
Holiday or Party Buffets (.PDF File - Festive times for giving and sharing should not include sharing foodborne illness.)
Turkey:
Countdown to Thanksgiving Holiday (.PDF File - Plan ahead to ease the countdown tension for your Thanksgiving meal.)
Let's Talk Turkey–A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey (.PDF File - Every facet of getting a turkey from the store to the dinner table is included — buying fresh vs.. frozen, safe thawing methods, stuffing, roasting, storing leftover turkey and reheating the leftovers.)
Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table (.PDF File - The conventional oven — although the appliance most often used to cook a whole turkey — is not the only way to get the big bird done and beautiful. There are alternate routes for cooking a turkey safely.)
Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners (.PDF File - Recommendations for take-out, deli-prepared, or convenience turkey dinners.)
Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking (.PDF File - Roasting instructions and approximate cooking times.)
Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing (.PDF File - A turkey must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. Learn three safe methods.)
Turkey Basics: Stuffing (.PDF File - For safety, prepare stuffing or dressing for the turkey according to these directions.)
Other Meats:
Ham and Food Safety (.PDF File - This backgrounder serves to carve up the facts and make them easier to understand. Includes a ham glossary.)
Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats (.PDF File - Rather than turkey, some families choose a rib roast; others, a ham; and some will have a butcher arrange a crown roast of lamb. For special holiday meals, the cook wants everything perfect — and perfectly safe.)
Smoking Meat & Poultry (.PDF File - Where there's smoke, there's well flavored meat and poultry. Using a smoker is one method of imparting natural smoke flavor to large cuts of meat, whole poultry, and turkey breasts.)
Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling (.PDF File - "Turducken" — a layered poultry dish especially popular during the holidays — requires safe food handling and thorough cooking to prevent foodborne illness.)
The Art of Sausage Making (.PDF File - contains information on: History; Types of Sausage; Equipment; Procedure; Selecting Ingredients; Grinding and mixing; Stuffing; Thermal processing; Food Safety Guidelines; Sausage formulations; Emulsified Products; Weights & Measures Table; & Spice Weights and Measures)
Wildlife:
Preservation of Game Meats & Fish (.PDF File - contains information on: Freezing Game Meats; Curing and Smoking Game; Drying or "Jerkying"; Corning Game; Canning Game; Making Sausage; & Freezing, Pickling and Canning Fish)
Care and Cookery (.PDF File - contains information on: Care of Game and Fish; Aging Game; Cookery Preparation; Food Safety Recommendations; Recipes; Preserving Game and Fish; & Nutritional Content and Yield)
Field to Freezer (.PDF File - contains information on: Before the Hunt: New Concerns; Preparing for the Hunt; Field Dressing; Skinning a Deer; Muscle Boning Venison; & Wrapping and Freezing)