Specialists field food-safety queries

Associated Press

Toll-free telephone services and Web sites offer a variety of specialist answers to cooking and food-safety questions during holiday preparation times. Here are some of them:

— U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry hot line: 1-800-535-4555. Food safety specialists answer calls about meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions, year-round Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST; Nov. 28, Thanksgiving Day 8 a.m.-2 p.m. EST. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day at the same number. On the Net: www.fsis.usda.gov

— Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 1-800-288-8372, or 1-800-BUTTERBALL. Home economists and nutritionists answer holiday cooks' questions, in both English and Spanish, for callers in the United States and Canada. Automated assistance is provided after hours. Free brochure offer. On the Net: www.butterball.com

— Perdue consumer help line: 1-800-473-7383, or 1-800-4PERDUE. Consumer-relations representatives answer cooking, storage and other questions about poultry products weekdays year-round (except Christmas Day). Free booklet offer with tips on safe handling of poultry. On the Net: www.perdue.com

— Foster Farms Turkey help line: 1-800-255-7227. Turkey-cooking questions are answered and information given by operators 24 hours a day Nov. 23 through Dec. 2. Before and after those dates, Helpline is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday. Free brochures and recipes are offered. On the Net: www.fosterfarms.com

— Empire Kosher poultry customer hot line: 1-800-367-4734. Help is offered by consumer-affairs representatives year-round Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST; Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST. Program offers recipes, tips on defrosting and cooking poultry. Closed Jewish and secular holidays. On the Net: www.empirekosher.com

— Reynolds Turkey Tips hot line: 1-800-745-4000. A year-round 24-hour automated hot line, focusing on turkey topics through Dec. 31. Offers free brochure and recipes. Year-round Web site: www.reynoldskitchens.com

— Norbest Turkey Tips Web site at www.norbest.com contains instructions for cooking and handling, about 300 turkey recipes, and ideas for leftovers.

— Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Toll-Free Bake Line: 1-800-876-7333 year-round Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST, baking specialists offer answers to baking questions and recipes for use of frozen dough. Year-round Web site: www.rhodesbread.com

— Ocean Spray consumer help line: 1-800-662-3263. Year-round, weekdays (open Thanksgiving Day; but not Christmas Day, New Year's Day and other major holidays) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. Consumer department staff field questions on cranberries, offer recipes, cooking tips, nutritional information, menu-planning worksheets, product information. On the Net: www.oceanspray.com

— Land O'Lakes: 1-800-837-7702 for free recipe leaflet of classic holiday. On the Net: www.landolakes.com