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Timing
is Everything
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Frozen turkey takes
up to 4 days to thaw in your refrigerator. You can also immerse
the turkey (still in its sealed bag) in cool water for 12 to 48 hours,
changing the water frequently to hasten thawing. Do not thaw in
warm water or at room temperature: dangerous bacteria can
develop. |
To make sure
you have enough turkey for your guests, allow ¼ pound of raw turkey for each serving. Allow
30 minutes to get your turkey ready for the oven. Cooking time can
vary from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the bird. Allow
20 to 40 minutes to let the juices settle before carving. This is
a good time to finish preparing side dishes.
Preparing
the Turkey for Roasting
| Rinse
the turkey; drain and pat dry. Pull off any lumps of fat and
discard. Release the turkey's legs if they're trussed; the leg
joints are the slowest part of the turkey to cook, and will cook faster
and more evenly with the legs untrussed. |
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Brush
the turkey with melted butter or olive oil before roasting, then sprinkle
lightly with salt and pepper or use our Chili-Orange
Glaze. Roasting
the Turkey
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Set
the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan breast side up. Find
the appropriate roasting temperature and time on the easycook.com table below. To brown appealingly, small birds
need to cook at higher temperatures than larger ones. |
| Either
insert regular thermometers before roasting, or check the turkey
several times during cooking with an instant-read thermometer. To
avoid overcooking, your should start checking the temperature well
before the time suggested for doneness on our table. Then
recheck every 15 minutes. |
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You
get the best results when you insert the thermometer straight down
through the thickest part of the breast until it touches the bone.
You may also want to use a thermometer in the thigh. Insert it
deep between the body and leg, almost to the thigh joint. At 180
to 185 degrees, thigh meat is cooked well. Carving
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There's
no need to carve your bird at the table with an audience.
Show your guests the golden masterpiece, then return to the
kitchen to do your work. This allows you to finish cooking
the thigh, if necessary, and relieves the pressure on you to
carve like grandpa. |
| It's
okay to improvise. It's also okay to just pull off some of
the best pieces of dark meat. Just keep it a secret and
remember to wash your hands before and after handling the turkey. |
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Here's
the basic method for carving a turkey. With a sharp knife,
begin by breaking the skin behind the thigh, making quick slicing
motions, then pull down on leg to sever at the thigh joint.
Locate the joint between drumstick and thigh, then pull down on
the |
| leg
to sever drumstick; thinly slice dark meat. Make a
horizontal incision at the base of the breast near the neck to the
bone, after severing wing from breast. At right angles to
the incision, slice breast meat vertically. Follow bone
contour to free meat near the bone. |
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