Martha Stewart Reveals Her Simplest Hacks For Keeping The Kitchen Clean This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving brings friends and families together to celebrate and be grateful. The feast that accompanies the holiday is often a favorite part of the season. But, as any home chef knows, preparing a Thanksgiving meal takes all hands on deck and can easily get messy. A clean kitchen is a happy and healthy one, and keeping a sterile work environment ensures no cross-contamination between dishes that could make dinner guests sick. 

Martha Stewart provided expert tips for keeping a clean kitchen in an interview on the "Today" show. One of her hacks is to use parchment paper on counters and cutting boards. Stewart demonstrated balling up a piece of parchment paper, as if tossing away all the juices from a turkey in one fell swoop, while she explained, "I work on a piece of parchment paper because all the juices are on here, and you go like this, throw it away." She also suggested using separate cutting boards for vegetables. "Then, use another board for cutting your vegetables, chopping your stuffing vegetables, your bread. And, I prefer acrylic cutting boards to wood cutting boards." 

However, you shouldn't only use parchment paper. Stewart advised cleaning and disinfecting all of your cooking surfaces. Experts recommend cleaning your area first and then sanitizing. Wash surfaces with warm, soapy water, and wipe down the counters to eliminate bacteria that could cause foodborne illnesses. Then, sanitize with a solution of bleach or vinegar in water. Martha Stewart's tips didn't stop there. 

To eliminate cross-contamination, Martha Stewart stressed cleaning with single-use paper towels instead of a dish towel and continuously washing your hands with hot, soapy water while prepping your meal. She also recommended latex gloves. You'll want to use different gloves for vegetables and bread from those for raw meat. Gloves ensure that food and potential bacteria don't transfer to your hands. Of course, they are not a replacement for proper hand-washing, and you'll still want to wash up after handling raw meat, just to be safe.

Stewart also relayed how to thaw a frozen turkey. Keeping the turkey in its original packaging eliminates cross-contamination, and thawing it in the fridge instead of on a counter ensures the turkey consistently stays at a safe temperature. For every 4 to 5 pounds a turkey weighs, thaw for one day. Once cooked, pierce the thickest part of the turkey's thigh with a food thermometer to ensure it has reached the correct internal temperature of 165 degrees.

There is one tip that experts and Stewart don't agree on. Stewart still rinses her turkeys in a large tub with a mixture of water and vinegar. However, food safety experts at the Department of Agriculture advise against this. Rinsing the turkey can actually cause more harm than good since water droplets can splash bacteria around kitchen surfaces, like the sink and counters, and potentially lead to cross-contamination and foodborne illnesses. Be sure to follow the rest of Martha Stewart's expert tips for a healthy and safe Thanksgiving.