Food experts say novice cooks nervous about attempting their first Turkey Day spread can avoid disaster and keep everyone healthy by following a few basic tips.

Plan Thanksgiving Dinner Ahead

As for the meal itself, experts advise starting it well before the big day. A common mistake: not planning so that all dishes are ready on time. This involves allowing frozen turkeys plenty of time to thaw in the refrigerator, where temperatures are cold enough to prevent bacteria from multiplying.

Since it takes one day of defrosting for every 4 to 5 pounds, this can be several days depending on the size of the turkey. Alternatively, putting a frozen turkey in the oven could result in a nicely browned bird, but still cold inside.

“Basically, you’ll have turkey ice cream that might look good, but it won’t be cooked,” said Frank Proto of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

Cooking the turkey

Once the bird is thawed, experts advise resisting any instinct to rinse it before cooking, which could end up splashing germs. Thorough cooking should kill any germs on the turkey.

Making sure the bird is thoroughly cooked — it should be 165 degrees at the thickest part — also means using a meat thermometer. Contrary to the advice given to Hughey, experts are not fans of pop-up thermometers that are stuck in some birds.

“These aren’t always good at determining temperature,” said Angela Shaw, an Iowa State University food safety extension specialist.

Although there is some debate about this, Shaw also recommends cooking the stuffing outside of the turkey. Otherwise, she said it could catch bacteria from the bird. Heating the stuffing enough to kill germs could mean burning or drying out the turkey, she said.

Remains

Temperature control can be a problem even after everyone has finished eating; Experts advise refrigerating leftovers within two hours, as bacteria can grow quickly on food left out.

However, leftovers don’t last forever and it’s important to practice good food safety habits to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses. Typically, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends eating or freezing turkey and other leftovers within three to four days. For Thanksgiving, that means you should eat or freeze by Monday.

Stories of newcomers to Turkey Day

A dry, overcooked bird is the main concern for Celeste Molina, who is staying home with her partner and their roommates instead of spending it with family because of the pandemic. Molina, who works at a screen printing company in Portland, Oregon, knows how disastrous first attempts can be; Years ago, her aunt ended up burning the Thanksgiving bird.

“We got to her house and she said, ‘I’ll just order you some McDonald’s,'” she said.

Molina isn’t worried about her first turkey, but just in case, she and her partner are planning to buy a broiler chicken on the side.

Lori DeSanti, a real estate agent in Meriden, Conn., will also be cooking turkey with her husband for the first time, instead of going to her dad or a relative’s house.

DeSanti isn’t much concerned with turkey – she’s never been a big fan – and is focused on making a stuffing recipe.

“That’s what I’m most afraid of messing up,” she said.

Pre-planning might be important for another reason this year: making sure you can get a bird the right size, as gatherings are expected to be smaller.

In suburban Detroit, Robyn Dwoskin plans to buy a turkey breast instead of a whole bird for her first attempt at a Thanksgiving meal, since it will only be her husband, their daughters and her mother. She’s already cooked turkey breasts in her slow cooker, but hasn’t yet figured out what she’ll make for Thanksgiving.

“I still refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving this year,” said Dwoskin, who owns a social media engagement business.

Back in North Carolina, Hughey rethinks his plan for the dinner he is preparing for his ex-wife and sons.

“Honestly, I hate to say it. I think about cheating,” said Hughey, who owns a health care technology company. “I think my next stop will be this place that serves a fully cooked turkey.”

This story was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated.