COOKING THANKSGIVING TURKEY

What Kind of Turkey Should You Buy

2009-06-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

What Kind of Thanksgiving Turkey Should You Buy; Fresh, Frozen, Whole, or Just the Breast?

Fresh Thanksgiving Turkey

If your guests are coming tomorrow, you will need to buy a fresh (not frozen) turkey. If you have time to plan in advance, you can reserve a fresh turkey ahead of time, from your local butcher shop (if you have one!)

Frozen Thanksgiving Turkey

Frozen turkies need time to defrost. The fastest way to defrost a frozen turkey is to put it (in its original packaging) in the sink and let it soak in COLD water. Change the water every half hour. Allow one hour of thawing time per pound of turkey. If you have the time, typically a couple of
days, you can thaw your turkey in your refrigerator. Calculate five hours of thawing time per pound.

Whole or Breast of Thanksgiving Turkey

That depends on your own personal tastes. I decided to just buy and cook thanksgiving turkey breasts figuring it would be easier to carve and serve. Everyone asked where the legs were! You can buy whole turkeys that are “self-basting”. They are moist and delicious and I would highly recommend them for the beginning cook.

(Note: Don't be concerned if your turkey does not come out looking like the ones on the cover of all the food magazines. Photographers sometime use shoe polish to make those thanksgiving turkeys have that beautiful coloring!)
Cooking Thanksgiving Turkey

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Guide-to-Cooking-a-Thanksgiving-Turkey

2009-06-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

Guide-to-Cooking-a-Thanksgiving-Turkey

Welcome to start cooking a thanksgiving turkey!

The thought of cooking Thanksgiving dinner can be a bit intimidating, but with just a bit of advance planning you can definitely pull it off. Roasting a thanksgiving turkey is very similar to roasting a chicken. The USDA's Fact Sheet on Poultry Preparation is an excellent resource. It includes information on buying, defrosting, cooking, storing, and an emergency hot-line to call for advice as well!

The following questions are guaranteed to make hosting your Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner a huge success:

1. What kind of Thanksgiving turkey should you buy - fresh, frozen, whole, or just the breast?
2. What size should I buy?
3. What's that stuff already inside my turkey and do I eat it?
4. What kind of pan do I need to cook the turkey and for how long?
5. Is making stove-top stuffing cheating or should I stuff the turkey?
6. Now that the Thanksgiving turkey is cooked, how do I carve it?
7. Is turkey healthy and why am I so tired after eating it?
8. Is there a turkey hot-line for emergency questions?
9. What kind of side dishes do I need and how about some dessert?
10. What do I do with all those turkey leftover?
Cooking Thanksgiving Turkey....
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THANKSGIVING TURKEY ROASTING INSTRUCTION

2009-06-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

THANKSGIVING TURKEY ROASTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAFETY AND DONENESS:

1. Set the oven temperature no lower than 325 °F. Preheating is not necessary.
2. Be sure the turkey is completely thawed. Times are based on fresh or completely thawed frozen birds at a refrigerator temperature of 40 °F or below.

3. Place thanksgiving turkey breast-side up on a flat wire rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep. Optional steps:

* Tuck wing tips back under shoulders of bird (called "akimbo").
* Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the pan.
* In the beginning, a tent of aluminum foil may be placed loosely over the breast of the thanksgiving turkey for the first 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then removed for browning. Or, a tent of foil may be placed over the turkey after the turkey has reached the desired golden brown.

4. If a meat thermometer is not available, cook stuffing in a casserole. Mix ingredients just before stuffing a thanksgiving turkey; stuff loosely. Additional time is required for the turkey and stuffing to reach a safe internal temperature (see chart below).

5. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer.The temperature must reach 180 °F in the thigh of a whole thanksgiving turkey (center of the stuffing should reach 165 °F) before removing it from the oven. Cook a turkey breast to 170 °F.

6. Juices should be clear. In the absence of a meat thermometer, pierce an unstuffed thanksgiving turkey with a fork in several places; juices should be clear with no trace of pink.

7. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.

APPROXIMATE COOKING TIMES

UNSTUFFED

* 4 to 6 lb breast.....1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hrs
* 6 to 8 lb breast...2 1/4 to 3 1/4 hrs
* 8 to 12 lbs................2 3/4 to 3 hrs
* 12 to 14 lbs..............3 to 3 3/4 hrs
* 14 to 18 lbs........3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hrs
* 18 to 20 lbs........4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hrs
* 20 to 24 lbs..............4 1/2 to 5 hrs

STUFFED

* 8 to 12 lbs...............3 to 3 1/2 hrs
* 12 to 14 lbs..............3 1/2 to 4 hrs
* 14 to 18 lbs..............4 to 4 1/4 hrs
* 18 to 20 lbs........4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hrs
* 20 to 24 lbs........4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hrs

Cooking Thanksgiving Turkey
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