Make sure to refrigerate dense foods like sliced turkey, cooked sweet potatoes or gravy in shallow containers to help them cool down fast. Schaffner’s recent research showed that foods cooled in containers at a depth of no more than 2 inches posed little risk of growing dangerous germs.

Frying a turkey on Thanksgiving can be risky. This video shows how fast a fire can erupt, and FEMA offers safety tips to prevent home cooking fires.