How
do I safely thaw a turkey?
Buy a fresh turkey if possible.
If bought frozen, place in a pan and
leave turkey in its original wrapper in the refrigerator. For a 5 pounds turkey, it will take about 24
hours to thaw in the refrigerator. For a
10 pounds turkey, allow 48 hours to thaw in refrigerator.
Don’t forget to remove neck and giblets after
thawing.
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| Baked Turkey |
To
stuff or not to stuff?
For ideal food safety, cook the turkey
and stuffing individually.
If you decide to stuff the turkey, best and safer to not pack it tightly with the stuffing, stuff it loosely. Or use fresh herbs as stuffing.
Always use a meat thermometer to check
the stuffing temperature as well as the turkey temperature, which both should be at a
minimum of 165F degree.
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| Fresh herbs |
Stuffed turkeys will usually take about 30-45
minutes longer for safe cooking. A meat
thermometer is the best tool you can use to determine when it is properly
cooked.
Avoid basting too often if you want a
crispy skin. Once every hour should do it.
For additional flavor and moisture,
place some aromatic butter under the turkey’s skin.
Bake in the oven on the lowest rack in
a preheated oven.
My
favorite fresh, no bread stuffing:
lemon slices and fresh thyme, orange slices
and fresh rosemary, fresh garlic cloves and rosemary, Apple slices and Sage,
fresh garlic cloves and tomatoes, just plain diced carrots and celery and thyme,
fresh yellow bell pepper slices and green olives. This list could be longer…  |
| Fresh Thyme |
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| Delicious Lemons |
What’s your favorite stuffing? Send me
an email and tell me about your family’s favorite fresh stuffing.
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