Thanksgiving Turkey Talk: How To Cook A Turkey

Tryptofantastic how to cook a turkey times make the holiday celebration go round.  

With the holiday countdown on, the Thanksgiving turkey talk centers around how to defrost and how to cook a turkey.

Turkey-cuts-diagram (1)

Being prepared for the gather round the table holiday celebration with a bird done to absolute golden perfection is the Thanksgiving holiday way to go.

willie-bird-fresh-free-range-organic-turkey-thanksgiving

Williams-Sonoma

Well then, let’s get the how to cook a turkey conversation started.

how much turkey per person guide

You may want to copy and paste or at the very least hit the bookmark icon- there’s some good information here.

raw-turkeyMy Recipes

Rules of Thawing:

Last minute does not work well in the grand scheme of turkey thawing.

Since the majority of supermarket turkeys are sold frozen, prepare to thaw.

Figure 1 to 1½ pounds of turkey per person when purchasing the bird.

As tempting as it may be to leave the bird out on the counter to expedite the thawing process, don’t.

Why invite a problem to the party?

You don’t need or want the hassle of food poisoning.

For Refrigerator Thawing:

Place turkey on a tray to eliminate leakage to other areas of refrigerator.

Thaw breast side up, in original unopened wrapper on a tray in the fridge (40 degrees F or below).

Allow at least 1 day of thawing for every 4-5 lbs.

Suggested thawing time for a frozen turkey:

4 to 12 pound turkey:       1 to 3 days
12 to 16 pound turkey:     3 to 4 days
16 to 20 pound turkey:    4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pound turkey:    5 to 6 days

Cold Water Thawing:

Thaw breast side down, in original unopened wrapper.

Cover the turkey completely with cold water.

Change the water every 30 minutes.

Estimate a minimum thawing time of 30 minutes per lb.

4 to 12 pound turkey:       2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pound turkey:     6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pound turkey:    8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pound turkey:   10 to 12 hours

Now, let’s say Thanksgiving Day comes and you’ve followed the above rule, but the turkey did not cooperate and the bird is still frozen.

Then the bird needs a soak.

Place the uncooperative turkey in a kitchen sink filled with cold water.

Soak the bird 30 minutes per pound to thaw; changing water every 30 minutes.

Remember to practice safe turkey prep & handling.

Clean and sanitize all the surfaces and utensils that come into contact with the uncooked bird and its juices.

mrs-meyers-apple-cider-scent-dish-soap

Don’t forget to wash those turkey covered hands thoroughly with soap and warm water!

Prepping the Bird:

Remove any contents from the turkey cavity.

Remove the clamp from around the legs.

Remove the extra skin from the neck area.

Tuck the wings up under the turkey bottom to prevent burning.

stuffed-turkey-on-platter

Martha Stewart

If you plan on stuffing the turkey, now is the time to do so.

The ingredients you will be stuffing the turkey with can be prepared ahead of time.

It is advised by the USDA to keep the wet and dry ingredients separate.

Keep wet ingredients refrigerated until time to use.

Do not mix the wet and dry ingredients until time to fill the turkey cavities, filling loosely.

Immediately cook the turkey.

Use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 170 °F.

Rub butter, margarine, or oil of your choice under the skin of the breast area, over the legs, and the turkey undercarriage to promote browning.

Place turkey breast side up on rack in your roasting pan and secure legs with kitchen twine.

prepping-turkey

Martha Stewart

Seasoning the Bird:

Rub turkey with seasonings of your choice of seasonings such as salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, rosemary, or Creole seasoning.

turkey-seasonings

I usually add a stalk of celery cut into three equal parts and ½ peeled and sliced onion or 2-3 cut green onions.

Add 1 ½-2 cups of chicken broth or white wine to roasting pan to keep the turkey moist during baking.

Cover with roasting pan lid or a foil tent for first 1-1½ of roasting.

turkey-seasoned

House and Home

Roasting the Bird:

Roast the turkey at 325 °F using the chart below as a guide for approximate roasting times.

The turkey and the stuffing is done when the internal temperature reaches an internal temperature of 170 °F.

Make sure to also check the stuffing for an internal temperature of 170 °F.

Use a food thermometer to check the turkey in the thickest part of the breast.

The internal temperature should reach 170 °F for safety.

turkey-cooking-chart1Resource: USDA Food Preparation and Inspection Service

To Baste Or Not To Baste:

basting-a-turkeyThe Kitchn

I do not baste our turkey.

 I find opening the oven door frequently allows the oven temp to swing and adds more time to the roasting. 

Sufficient prep and seasoning will keep the turkey moist. 

When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and cover with foil. 

Allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving for easier carving.

Nobody Loves Dry Turkey:

Turkey breast dries out easy due to the fact lean breast meat cooks quicker than the legs and thighs.  Here’s several suggestions to eliminate this issue:

You can separate the breast from the whole turkey and cook the bone-in breast separately.

Boneless Turkey Breast

My personal favorite way to combat dry turkey is to simply roast a boneless turkey breast.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place turkey breast, breast-side up, into the roasting pan.

Dry the skin of the turkey breast by patting with a paper towel.

Give the outer skin of the turkey a generous rub down with butter.

Season the turkey breast with seasonings and herbs of your choice.

Rub the seasonings into the skin of the turkey breast.

Roast the turkey breast at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes per pound until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F.

Clean Up:

In a spray bottle combine 1 quart (4 cups) warm water, 1 teaspoon liquid soap, 1 teaspoon borax and ¼ cup undiluted white vinegar.

You can also add 1 tsp. of essential oil such as rose, lemon, orange, or lavender.

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and cleaner however, I don’t suggest using this on granite or marble countertops.

carving-turkey-williams-sonoma

Williams Sonoma Edge-Grain Carving Board

Williams Sonoma Edge-Grain Carving Boards

Carving the Bird:

Place the bird on a carving board or reliable surface for carving, breast side up with the legs facing away from you.

Position the carving fork in the lower part of the breast to hold the turkey steady as you carve.

carving roasted turkeyFood52

Find the hip joint connecting the thigh and the breast and begin slicing through.  Repeat on the opposite side.

Separate the drumstick from the thigh by cutting through the joint.

carving-turkey-on-board

Martha Stewart

Let’s move on to the drumstick/ turkey leg.

Pull each leg to extend them away from the body and slice between the breast and the drumstick.

carving-turkey-thigh-legThe Kitchn

Move the leg backward to loosen it away from the socket, cut away from skin and remove.

Repeat on the opposite side.

Paula Deen turkey recipePaula Deen

Now we’re winging it!

Locate the joint connecting the wing to the body and slice on through.

Repeat on the opposite side.

For the breast, begin by slicing as close to the breastbone as possible.

Slice all the way down as to have one large piece and repeat on the opposite side.

Turkey-breast-carved

Better Homes and Gardens

Place breast on cutting surface and slice from smallest end to the largest.

Arrange and plate as you like.

carved-turkey-the-kitchnThe Kitchn

enjoy

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