TOLEDO, Ohio — Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner and many are getting their Thanksgiving feast ready.
If you're a first-time turkey cooker, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department has you covered on what to do.
"If you are having a turkey, it should already be out of your freezer in your fridge or under that cold water preparing for the big meal on Thursday," Shannon Jones, deputy health commissioner with TLCHD said.
Jones said turkeys should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If turkey and any food aren't prepped at the right temperature or if food isn't properly stored, eating it can make you sick.
"It certainly could be salmonella," Jones said. "It could be a couple of other bacterial infections that are absolutely not something that anyone wants as a result of Thanksgiving food not being properly handled or cooked to the appropriate temperature."
If you have leftovers, you can keep them stored for three to seven days. When you are getting rid of food or you have leftover oils and grease from cooking, don't pour it down the drain as it could ruin your pipes.
"They think once you dispose of it in your garbage disposal, it is gone," Theresa Pollick with the Northwestern Water and Sewer District said. "It does go somewhere and if it goes down the pipes and the fats harden when they cool, that can cause a big problem."
Pollick said that the best way to keep your drains and plumbing from getting backed up is to throw away excess food and starches in the trash and let oils cool before throwing them out.
"What you never want to do is put that grease down your drain," Pollick said. "You always want to put it in a can. It could be glass, it could be your aluminum can that's left over from an open jar. Then you cool it and then you toss it."
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District is offering cans with lids to help people store leftover grease. You can pick one up yourself at their location in Bowling Green.