Turkey tips
The Salt Lake Tribune staff
The Road to a Perfect Turkey:
From buying to storing leftovers, here are some tips for preparing
the perfect Thanksgiving bird.
Buying:
- Purchase frozen turkeys at
least one week before
holiday. (It will take that long to thaw.)
- For generous portions, and leftovers, allow at least 1 1/4
pounds per person. 24 hrs. for 5 lbs.
Thawing:
- Thaw in original wrapper, on lowest
shelf of
refrigerator with no food under bird.
- Allow approximately 24 hours of defrost
time for every five pounds of turkey. A 15-pound
turkey will take three days to defrost.
- For quicker thawing, submerge turkey
in cold water. Change water every 30 minutes.
A
15-pound turkey will take about 7 1/2 hours
to defrost.
(About 30
minutes per pound.) Never defrost a turkey at room temperature
or in the microwave.
- Pat and brush with oil
Cleaning:
- A turkey has two body cavities. Remove
giblets from one
and neck from other.
- Pat bird dry with paper towels.
- Brush skin with vegetable oil. 1/2 to
3/4 cup per lb.·
Stuffing:
- Make stuffing as close to roasting time as possible. Cook
all ingredients thoroughly.
- Make 1/2 to 3/4 cup per pound of bird.
- Stuffing expands as it cooks, so place loosely
in neck and body cavities.
- Stuffed turkeys require an additional
half hour or more of cooking.325
degrees
Roasting:
- Preheat oven to 325
degrees.
- Place breast side up in a heavy-gauge
roasting pan, (about 18 inches by 12
inches by 2 1/2 inches).
- Turkey is done when a meat thermometer
inserted into deepest part of the
thigh (not touching bone) registers 180 degrees.
- Stuffing is done when thermometer
registers 165 degrees
Cooking Table:
 |
Unstuffed turkey:
- 8 to 12 lbs.: 2 3/4 to 3 hours
- 12 to 14 lbs.: 3 to 3
3/4 hours
- 14 to 18 lbs.: 3 3/4 to
4 1/4 hours
- 18 to 20 lbs.: 4 1/4 to
4 1/2 hours
- 20 to 24 lbs.: 4 1/2 to
5 hours
|
Stuffed Turkey:
- 8 to 12 lbs.: 3 to 3 1/2 hours
- 2 to 14 lbs.: 3 1/2
to 4 hours
- 14 to 18 lbs.: 4 to 4 1/4
hours
- 18 to 20 lbs.: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4
hours
- 20 to 24 lbs.: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4
hours
|
Parallel
to the bone Carving:
- Immediately remove stuffing from turkey.
- Let turkey rest 20 minutes before carving.
- For dark meat, remove drumstick and thigh,
separating them at the joint. Cut
thin slices parallel to the bone. Remove
hard tendons from drumstick.
- For white meat, make a deep horizontal
cut low on the breast as close
to the wing as possible and all the way
to the rib cage. Then carve thin slices
downward to this base.Reheat at 165 degrees
Leftovers:
- Remove meat from bones as soon as possible.
Meat should not sit at room temperature
for more than two hours.
- Meat, dressing and gravy should be stored
in separate, shallow containers in the refrigerator.
- Use turkey within 3 to 4 days or store
in freezer for up to one month. Thoroughly
reheat all leftovers to 165 degrees.
- Use leftover stuffing and gravy within 2
days. Bring gravy to rolling boil before
serving.Tame that bird
Other Turkey Tips:
- U.S. Department
of Agriculture
Meat and Produce: 888-674-6854 or http://www.fsis.usda.gov
- Butterball Turkey Talkline: 800-288-8372 or at http://www.butterball.com
- Norbest Inc. Web site: http://www.norbest.com
- Reynolds Turkey Tips Line: 800-745-4000
or http://www.reynoldskitchens.com
Sources: Norbest Inc.; Sylvia Klinger, test
kitchen expert with Butterball Turkey Talkline;
Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers (Broadway
Books, $15)
Reported by Kathy Stephenson/The Salt Lake Tribune
-- Sources: Norbest Inc.; Sylvia Klinger,
test kitchen expert with Butterball Turkey
Talkline; Thanksgiving 101 by Rick
Rodgers, (Broadway
Books, $15) |
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