3 day old turkey got thrown into brand new pot of chili, do I need to do anything?
My mother was putting turkey from thanksgiving into the microwave, right above a huge pot of chili I am making. Then I hear "oh no, I think I dropped a piece of turkey in there," at the exact time I'm stirring and not looking at the pot.
So I don't know if a piece actually fell in, or how big it was. I've sifted through it with my spoon dozens of times at this point, but it's such a big pot I know I'm not seeing every bit of it as I stir it.
Does the (possible) addition of turkey that is 3 days old contaminate this chili?
I would only eat the turkey itself for another day, but this chili is supposed to last us (and my dad who is leaving to start his next trucking job tomorrow morning. I was mostly making it for him to have some home cooked food on the road actually lol) at least 4 days from now.
I don't see any large chunk of turkey at this point, so if some did fall in, it would be a small piece in there somewhere. And the chili is still actively cooking on the stove at simmering/boiling temps.
Will this small amount be okay and I can just ignore it, or do I have to treat the entire pot as if it's several days old already?
I have an elderly family member who is not in great health in the house so I'm pretty paranoid about food related illness because I really don't want to make them sick. And I definitely dont want to make my dad sick when he has to spend 2 or 3 weeks driving.
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 4:15 AM UTC