Here are some tips for
preparing holiday turkeys from the United States Department of Agriculture
and the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. Happy Holidays!
Handling:
Take the turkey home directly from the grocery store. Place the turkey
immediately in the refrigerator or freezer. Prevent juices from dripping
onto other foods in the refrigerator by placing wrapped turkey on a tray.
A fresh turkey should be cooked within two days.
Thawing:
Thawing turkey at room temperature allows bacterial growth and is not
recommended.
Refrigerator thawing is recommended: defrost frozen turkeys in the
refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for each five pounds. If time is short,
however, place the frozen turkey in cold water, allowing about 30 minutes
per pound. Change the water every half-hour.
A turkey may be defrosted in the microwave if the oven is large enough.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully. Cook microwave-defrosted
turkeys immediately after defrosting.
Clean-up:
Place raw poultry on non-porous surfaces; these are easy to clean. Avoid
wooden cutting boards.
Use paper towels, not cloth, to dry off turkey and wipe up juices. Wash
hands, work surfaces and utensils touched by raw poultry and its juices
with hot, soapy water.
Stuffing:
Foodborne illness could occur if the stuffing is not cooked and handled
properly. The safest way to prepare stuffing is to bake it in a separate
casserole dish outside the bird. However, many people still prefer to cook
stuffing in the turkey. Here's how to make in-turkey stuffing preparation
safer.
Mix the stuffing just before it goes into the turkey. Use only cooked
ingredients – such as sautéd vegetables, and cooked meats and seafood
(oysters) – and use pasteurized egg products instead of raw eggs. If
more convenient, the wet and dry ingredients can be prepared ahead of time
and chilled.
Stuff the bird properly. The turkey should be stuffed loosely – about ¾
cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. This will help allow the stuffing to
reach the proper 165°F internal temperature.
What about frozen turkeys stuffed at a USDA-inspected plant? Turkeys
purchased frozen at a grocery store should be safe when cooked from the
frozen state, but the manufacturer's directions should be followed
carefully.
When the turkey is cooked on an outdoor grill, water smoker or by fast
cook methods where the turkey typically gets done faster than the
stuffing, do not stuff the bird!
Roasting:
The stuffed turkey should be placed immediately in a preheated oven set no
lower than 325° F and cooked to the proper temperature. Cooking overnight
in a "slow" oven is not recommended since foodborne bacteria can
form under these conditions.
The tip of any oven-safe meat thermometer should be placed in the thigh
muscle just above and beyond the lower part of the thigh bone, but not
touching the bone, and pointing towards the body. Turn the thermometer so
it can be read while the turkey is in the oven.
Checking for doneness:
Always use a meat thermometer. Turkey is done when the meat thermometer
reaches the following temperatures:
| Temperature |
Location
|
Observations |
| 180°F
to185°F |
Deep in
the thigh. |
Juices
should be
clear, not pink
when thigh muscle is pierced
deeply. |
| 170°F to
175°F |
Thickest
part of the
breast, just above the rib bones |
Juices
also should be clear |
| 160°F to
165°F |
Center of
the stuffing, if turkey is stuffed. |
|
When the stuffed turkey is done, remove
turkey from oven and let turkey with stuffing stand 15 to 20 minutes. This
stand time provides an added measure of safety for stuffing temperature to
reach 165°F.
Checking the stuffing temperature with a thermometer is essential. That's
because even if the turkey itself has reached the proper internal
temperature of 180° F in the innermost part of the thigh, the stuffing
may not have reached the correct temperature of 165° F in its center. It
is
important to reach this temperature in all parts of the stuffing to be
sure that foodborne bacteria are destroyed.
Dealing with leftovers:
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking
and should be chilled to less than 45°F within four hours. Do not leave
the cooked turkey out all day to nibble on!
Cut the turkey off the bones. Refrigerate the stuffing and the turkey
separately in shallow containers. Use leftover turkey within three to four
days; stuffing and gravy, in one or two days.
When freezing, wrap in heavy foil, freezer wrap or place in freezer
container. For optimum taste, use stuffing within one month and turkey
within two months.
When reheating leftovers, the turkey and stuffing should be reheated to
165°F. Gravy should be brought to a rolling boil. |