Craig Schaefer and his wife, Jenny, will be hosting their first Thanksgiving in the Waterville home they moved into in September.

The couple, who are both trained in food safety, are being very careful with their ingredients.

“The last thing I want to do is get my closest family members sick,” said Mr. Schaefer, operations manager at Costco. “I use a digital probe thermometer just to be safe.”

Thanksgiving can be a stressful time for those cooking for the first time — and for those who have done it for decades.

Hand washing very important

Jodi Vaughan, food safety supervisor at the Toledo Lucas County Health Department, said even home cooks who were not trained in food safety can ensure their meals are safe.

“Hand washing is the most important thing to decrease foodborne illness,” Ms

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