HuffPost spoke with food safety experts on the biggest mistakes people make when preparing and cooking turkey and what to do instead. Not Washing Your Hands . Washing your hands w

Avoid getting yourself (and your guests) sick this holiday season and take these food safety tips into consideration.

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.