Useful turkey facts for making the most of the holiday

Useful turkey facts for making the most of the holiday bird!

Millions of turkeys are sold each year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. While this is a favorite main dish on the holiday dinner table, if you do not treat that bird right, you risk illness, due to mishandling of preparation and storage. Here we sum up a few basic turkey facts you should know, to enjoy your turkey to the max and avoid mishaps.

If you are buying a fresh turkey, you will probably pick it up the day before you plan to cook. Most of us go for a frozen turkey, which presents a logistical problem in your frig. Making room for this gigantic bird is no easy task, especially when you have got many other dishes taking up space.

here is a foolproof way to buy a frozen turkey the day before cooking and defrost it perfectly. Typically, the turkey fact tips you will find with respect to defrosting, caution you to allow 3-4 days of defrosting time in the frig. here is an easy, safe way to defrost that bird overnight, outside of the frig. Fill a large picnic cooler with sufficient cold water to cover the turkey. Close the lid and forget about it until bedtime. Before you turn in, turn the turkey over. By morning, the bird will be perfectly defrosted and ready for the oven. This gives you plenty of space in the frig for all of the other dinner goodies, which you can prepare ahead of time.

Among the essential turkey facts, always use a meat thermometer. do not rely on those pop-up buttons some turkeys have. Poultry must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Only the slightest tinge of pink meat is acceptable and then, only on the breast meat. When the meat thermometer shows an internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove the bird from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. This allows your turkey to absorb the juices, yielding a tender result at serving time.

here is another turkey fact you might not run across elsewhere: you can make a turkey truly self-basting, which cooks in the time indicated on the packaging. When preparing the bird for the oven, separate the skin from the flesh with your fingers, all across the breast and down the thighs. With the aid of a helping set of hands, pour melted, seasoned butter between skin and flesh. Place on a rack and cover with foil. do not open the oven during the cooking time! Your bird will be perfect in all respects!

When you are looking at advice and turkey fact data, stuffing is most often stressed as a source of potential contamination. Never stuff a turkey until you are ready to pop it in the oven. Contact between the stuffing ingredients, particularly if you are using giblets or other meat parts, equals bacteria growth! Stuff your turkey just before oven time.

Once dinner is over and you are ready to store what is left, you need to pay strict attention to this turkey fact: if the meat is left on the carcass, you are opening the door to contamination. Strip the meat from the bone and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or freezer bags. You can stretch your menus by simmering the carcass in a stockpot overnight for a delicious turkey stock. Never pack the turkey away in the frig on the carcass.

If you have got a big bird and a lot of leftover meat, reserve only an amount you will use in the next couple of days, in the frig. Freeze the remainder. The meat will freeze best immersed in broth, sauce or gravy.

So there are your essential turkey facts, which will deliver a tasty, safe bird to your holiday table. Bon Appetit!