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How to cook Thanksgiving meal safely, and what to do if power goes out

If your turkey is in the oven but not done yet and the power goes out — sorry, you should not eat that bird. (Melina Hammer / The New York Times)

It’s been nearly 40 years since the infamous 1983 Thanksgiving Windstorm. But that doesn’t mean fears of a power outage while the turkey is roasting have gone away.

That year, winds gusting up to 70 mph swept through Western Washington, tearing off roofs and cutting power to 270,000 homes in the region. One insurance broker, recalling a holiday dinner disaster, said both the potatoes and turkey were still cooking when the power went out. His evening was spent drinking wine and eating pie.

The episode was repeated in Western Washington in 1991 when 60 mph winds put 40,000 households out of power on Turkey Day.

Luckily this year, the National Weather Service is expecting a sunny Thanksgiving Day in Seattle with a high of 54 degrees. However, windy and rainy days are not unusual for the Emerald City in November — despite a record-breaking Seattle dry spell to start the month. There’s a 30% to 50% chance of rain Thursday evening through Friday.

In any case, here are some food safety tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Department of Health to give you some peace of mind.

What to do with food during a power outage:

According to DOH, the biggest food safety concern should be for meats, eggs, dairy products, cooked vegetables and cut melon.

What to do after a power outage:

Cold foods

Hours power is out45ºF or below46ºF to 50ºF51ºF or above
0-2OKOKOK
2-4OKOKX
>4OKXX

OK = Food safe, as long as it was 41ºF or less when the power went out. Immediately cool food to 41ºF or less

X = Food may be unsafe

Source: Washington state Department of Health

Hot foods

Hours power is out130ºF or above129ºF or below
0-2OKOK
2-4OKX
>4XX

OK = Food safe, as long as it was 41ºF or less when the power went out. Immediately cool food to 41ºF or less

X = Food may be unsafe

Source: Washington state Department of Health

Thanksgiving-specific food safety tips:

Got a burning hot food safety question? The USDA also has a meat and poultry hotline at 888-674-6854 and MPHotline@usda.gov. The hotline will even be open on Thanksgiving Day, though only from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. PST.

Amanda Zhou: 206-464-2508 or azhou@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @AmondoZhou. Amanda Zhou covers afternoon breaking news and enterprise for The Seattle Times.

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