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If you like the idea of serving turkey with all the trimmings to your
holiday guests but aren't looking forward to getting up at the crack of
dawn to get the bird in the oven, don't despair. There are a number of
shortcuts you can take in preparing your holiday turkey that are safe and
can decrease the time spent in preparation.
First, when shopping for your turkey, decide on the kind of turkey you
want before you go to the store. Buy frozen turkey early to get the size
you want. Keep it frozen at zero degrees F until ready to thaw for use. To
save the time and effort required to thaw a turkey, order a fresh bird
ahead of time and pick it up one or two days before you'll be cooking it.
If you're feeding a small crowd, you can decrease the cooking time
required by purchasing a frozen turkey roll or your favorite turkey parts.
Turkey legs, breasts and thighs, as well ready-to-grill turkey fillets,
are all sold separately. For the ultimate in shortcuts, consider buying
the bird pre-cooked. Do this, however, only if you plan to serve the bird
immediately.
One shortcut NOT to take is to buy a pre-stuffed, raw bird. When a turkey
is stuffed, incubator-like conditions develop in the cavity of the turkey
that promote bacterial growth. Stuffing, if added at all, should be placed
in the turkey just prior to cooking.
If you have space in your refrigerator and have planned ahead, the easiest
way to thaw your turkey is in the refrigerator. Plan on a day of thawing
time per 5 pounds of bird, which translates to four days for a 20-pound
turkey. One way to speed the thawing process is to submerge the turkey in
cold water. However, you still need to allow 30 minutes per pound of
turkey being thawed for the cold-water method and need to change the water
every 30 minutes. For a 20-pound bird, we're talking 10 hours and 20 water
changes.
If your bird is small enough to fit in your microwave oven, you may want
to consider microwave thawing by following recommendations in your owner's
manual. Because microwave thawing often results in a warm to partially
cooked turkey exterior, it's important to cook the bird immediately after
thawing. One shortcut NOT to take is to thaw the bird on the kitchen
counter. This method promotes the growth of bacteria on the surface of the
bird as the inside of the turkey thaws.
While you are thawing your bird, check to see that you have all the
ingredients and equipment you'll need to prepare your holiday meal. Make
sure your roasting pan is large enough to hold your turkey and that you
have a meat thermometer that works.
Here are some ways to save time during the actual cooking process:
- Use a microwave oven to partially or completely cook the bird.
- Cook the bird and stuffing separately. Separate cooking can save up to
an hour of cooking time and is a much safer way to cook stuffing.
- Cook in an oven cooking bag or covered roaster. This can reduce the
cooking time by a half-hour or so.
Don't even think about partially cooking the turkey the night before, then
finishing it up on the day of the big event. This is a recipe for
bacterial survival and growth. Also, it's not a good idea to cook the bird
all night at a low oven setting. Cooking at any temperature under 300
degrees F allows the bird to sit in the temperature danger zone for too
many hours. For safety's sake, cook at 325 degrees F until a thermometer
inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 180 degrees F.
Serving a large turkey dinner requires forethought. Plan ahead and put
food out just before you're ready to eat. If the serving time is long,
plan to use hot trays or chafing dishes to keep hot foods hot.
After your holiday meal, play it safe by slicing or stripping the meat
from the carcass and refrigerating the stuffing and turkey separately in
shallow containers. Leftover turkey will keep in the refrigerator for
three or four days or in the freezer for three to four months.
Refrigerated stuffing and gravy should be used within one to two days.
Reporters who are looking for more information about the following press release should contact the media contact listed at the top of the release. The media contact does not have appropriate information to share with the public. Members of the public who are looking for more information should contact their local Extension office, usually listed in the county government section of the local phone book.
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Uploaded Tuesday, September 25, 2007
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