Colorado food safety expert shares food safety tips for your Thanksgiving dinner

As we get ready for Thanksgiving, food safety is a must to keep our guests safe. The CDC estimates that each year in the United States, 9 million people get sick, with about 56,000 hospitalizations, and 1,300 deaths associated with foodborne illness. 

Troy Huffman, retail food manager with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, shared some food safety tips we all can follow with CBS News Colorado's Mekialaya White.

"Start with thawing food in the refrigerator. Place items on a tray or on the very bottom of the refrigerator to catch any juices that may leak from the packaging to avoid cross-contamination with other foods," said Huffman. "The number of days a frozen turkey takes to thaw in a refrigerator depends on the size. A turkey 4-12 pounds takes one to three days to thaw, 12-16 pounds takes three to four days, 16-20 pounds takes four to five days, and 20-24 pounds takes five to six days."

Once that's done, Huffman says you should keep four simple steps to food safety in mind: Separate, clean, cook, and chill.

Separate: Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from other foods while shopping, in the fridge, or on the cutting board.

Clean: Wash your hands with soap and water periodically while preparing food, especially after handling raw meat, seafood, fish, or poultry. Clean food preparation surfaces often, especially after using them to prepare raw foods. When you are not feeling well, refrain from preparing, handling, or cooking food.

Cook: Keep the stuffing out of the turkey! Cook the turkey and stuffing separately to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ham to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, before serving. Recipes containing eggs must be cooked thoroughly to 155 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Use a cooking thermometer to confirm the temperature. Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the food, and don't let it touch bone, fat, or gristle.

Chill: Do not leave foods containing meat, dairy, eggs, fish, or poultry at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours after cooking, including pumpkin or other custard pies.

For more turkey tips and holiday food safety know-how, visit the CDC's page on preparing your holiday turkey safely, the Food and Drug Administration's Safe Food Handling, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Basics