Better Homes And Gardens 2008 11, page 199 read online

T U R K E Y R O A ST IN G GU ID E

food

Prep and Roast

PLAN

A llo w 1 to

1^ 2

p o u n d s o f tu rk e y p e r

p e rs o n . T h a t a m o u n t w ill leav e e n o u g h fo r

lefto v ers, too. B e s u re to a llo w p le n ty o f

tim e —a n d s p a c e —to th a w a fro z e n tu rk e y in

th e re frig e ra to r. S ee b o x a t rig h t fo r tips.

PREP

F in d th e g ib le ts—h e a rt, liver,

g iz z a rd —tu c k e d in s id e th e n e c k o r b o d y

cav ity a n d rem o v e. D isc a rd , if y o u ’re n o t

u s in g th e m , o r c o o k a n d a d d to stu ffin g o r

gravy. I f y o u a re stu ffin g , p la n a b o u t 3/4 c u p

s tu ffin g p e r p o u n d o f p o u ltry . D o n o t s tu ff

u n til ju s t b e fo re ro a stin g . L o o sely sp o o n

s tu ffin g in to th e n e c k a n d b o d y c av ities

a llo w in g ro o m fo r e x p a n s io n . I f s tu ffin g is

p a c k e d in it w ill n o t re a c h a safe e a tin g

te m p e ra tu re b y tim e tu rk e y is d o n e . P u ll

n e c k sk in o v e r stu ffin g ; u s e a lo n g s k e w e r to

h o ld it in p lace. T u c k d ru m s tic k s u n d e r b a n d

o f sk in n e a r tail, re s e t le g c lam p , o r tie legs

to g e th e r w ith k itc h e n strin g ,

right.

T w ist

w in g tip s u p a n d u n d e r th e b ird ’s b ack . I f n o t

s tu ffin g b ird , b a k e s tu ffin g in c assero le.

ROAST

U se th e ro a s tin g c h a rt,

below right,

to d e te rm in e c o o k in g tim e s. W h ile o v e n is

p re h e a tin g to 325° F, p la c e tu rk e y , b re a s t sid e

u p , o n a ra c k in a sh allo w ' ro a s tin g p a n . P a n s

w ith s id e s h ig h e r th a n 2 in c h e s w ill a c t as a

h e a t s h ie ld a n d p re v e n t tu rk e y th ig h s fro m

c o o k in g evenly. B ru sh b ird w ith c o o k in g oil.

C o v e r lo o selv w ith foil a n d ro a st. A fte r tw o -

th ird s o f c o o k in g tim e , c u t s trin g b e tw e e n

d ru m s tic k s . R em o v e foil d u rin g th e la st 3 0 to

45 m in u te s o f c o o k in g to c re a te c risp , g o ld e n

sk in . A c c o rd in g to th e U S D A , all tu rk e y m e a t

a n d s tu ffin g is safe to e a t w h e n a m e a t

th e rm o m e te r re a c h e s 165°F. H o w ev e r, fo r

b e s t flav o r a n d e a se in carv in g , th ig h m e a t

sh o u ld b e c o o k e d to 180°F. F o r a n a c c u ra te

re a d in g , b e s u re th e rm o m e te r d o e s n o t to u c h

b o n e w h e n in s e rte d in m e at.

A N SW E R S TO CO M M O N T U R K E Y D ILEM M A S

■ Fresh or frozen?

It all com es down to

personal preference. Som e

people like the flavor of

fresh turkey. Others don’t

notice a flavor difference.

Fresh birds don’t need to

be thawed, but may be

pricier. Frozen birds can be

purchased in advance, but

need up to i week to thaw

in the refrigerator.

■ When should

I start thawing

the turkey?

Thawing the bird in the

refrigerator is our favorite

method. Allow 24 hours

thawing time for every

4 pounds of bird. That

means a 12-pound turkey

takes 3 days to thaw, but

we recom m end allowing

an extra day to make sure

it thaws completely. It's

safe to keep a thawed bird

in the fridge a day or two

before roasting. If you find

your turkey is still frozen

Thanksgiving morning,

place it in a clean sink

filled with cold water.

Change the water every

30 minutes until the turkey

is thawed. D o not thaw the

bird at room temperature

or in warm water.

■ Can I roast the

turkey in advance?

Yes. Roast and carve

per directions in this

guide, then cover and

refrigerate up to 2 days.

For moist, make-ahead

turkey, pour turkey or

chicken broth over

slices then cover and

refrigerate. Before

serving, reheat, covered,

in the microwave.

■ How long can I

keep leftovers?

First step is to cover

and refrigerate meat

within 2 hours of cooking.

Then eat it within 2 days.

Otherwise freeze it for

up to 6 months.

■ What if I have