The ‘turkey challenge’ prank is freaking out parents everywhere

By | November 20, 2018

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, enjoy good food and prank your parents.

A new trend called the “Turkey Challenge” has taken over social media ahead of the holiday with people texting their parents and grandparents asking how to cook a 25-pound turkey in the microwave.

The array of responses are then shared online.

While most parents were straight up shocked by their kids’ stupidity, others offered surprisingly helpful tips.

Not everyone bought into the prank, however.

One of the biggest potential dangers of eating an undercooked turkey is the risk of salmonella and other bacteria.

Each year in the United States, roughly 1.2 million people are sickened by salmonella, while an estimated 23,000 are hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A turkey is ready to eat when its internal temperature reaches 165 F, Champion said, adding a thermometer “should be placed in three places: in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast.”

Despite popular belief, a turkey is not necessarily ready to come out of the oven if its juices are running clear, Ben Chapman, food safety specialist and assistant professor of food science at North Carolina State University, told Live Science.

“Color is not an indicator of safety or doneness,” he warned.

Fox News’ Madeline Farber contributed to this report.

Living | New York Post

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