Aging With Grace: Let’s Talk Turkey
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 12:00AM
If you are making your first Thanksgiving dinner this year, be encourage, turkey is the easiest thing to cook. You prep it, put it in the oven, heat and time do the rest. As always, I have some unsolicited grandmotherly advice on the subject:
If you have never made a turkey before get a self-basting one. This is not the time to worry bout artificial ingredients or whatever people complain about with self-basting turkeys. As you get more experience roasting turkey, you can branch out into organic, fresh, soy turkey, wherever your bliss leads you. The first time out, go for the turkey with the safety net. In addition, if you buy a frozen turkey, it can take days to thaw. Read and follow the thawing directions. Thawing out a frozen turkey is defiantly not something you can do at the last moment.
Early in the month, buy one of those big disposable roaster pans. After the stress of cooking Thanksgiving dinner that is one less thing to clean. You want to buy it early because by Thanksgiving they are to find (I know whereof I type). An instant read thermometer is very helpful also. Basters, never saw the point, get one if it makes you happy. Putting the pan on a cookie sheet will make it easier to remove the turkey from the oven.
To stuff or not to stuff the bird? Do what you want. Heed the safety warnings on stuffing turkeys. Guests who get food poisoning will not be happy campers. Personally, I find unstuffed makes for less stress.
If you do not stuff your bird, do put a couple of halved apples in to the turkey cavity. You can seed the apples but you do not have to peel them. This will help keep the turkey moist while it roasts.
It is better to depend on your instant thermometer that the little pop up timer to tell when the turkey is done. You want an internal temperature of 180 degrees F before you remove it from the oven. I prefer 200 degrees but that is just me.
Gravy, if you feel adventurous try making your own but have a couple of jars of ready-made hiding on your pantry shelf. If your gravy comes out well, you are golden and the jars can go to the nearest food bank. If not, you are covered. Gravy is important at Thanksgiving.
The biggest problem with making a Thanksgiving Dinner is timing and cleaning. You are making a usually big meal and your house has to be cleaner than usual. Two big tasks to be completed at about the same time. This plus the odd cousin, politically out spoken uncle and the female family member who is always complaining is what makes Thanksgiving dinner stressful.
Usually there are more dishes than burners and more to food to cook than oven space. The more you can prep the day before the easier your day will be. This is no time for pride, if someone offers to bring a dish, LET THEM. If they offer to come over and help clean, LET THEM.
A detailed list of what you are serving, when it has to be cooked either on a burner or in the stove will make you life easier. Start with your planned estimated serving time and work backwards so you know at what time each dish has to be cooking. Turkey has to sit for a while so food that has to be warmed or cooked can go in the oven during the turkey’s resting time. (That is the technical term for when meat sits out on the counter so the juices have time to settle: resting)
That is my grandmotherly (bossy?) little list.
Anyone else have turkey day advice they’d like to share?
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Reader Comments (7)
I've never heard about putting an apple in the turkey for tenderness...thanks for the tip! Does it add any extra aroma or flavor?
I had never heard about the apple, either though I usually do put a couple onions and some fresh herbs in when I roast a turkey.
I prefer to cook one medium sized whole turkey and one turkey breast. I find it easier to handle plus it cooks quickly. Since most of my guests prefer white meat, the extra turkey breast is just perfect.
Signe, The apple adds a mild flavor. That is why I prefer it to an orange. I don't like the orange flavor in the gravy.
Allen, That sounds even better than an apple!
Babette, I never though to cook a smaller turkey plus a breast. I might try that this year since my family also prefers white meat.
Just get a turkey roll! It all gets cut up anyway and it's really just as good but much easier! That's what I did for my first Thanksgiving meal I cooked. I think I only did it twice.
Now we go out to eat on Thanksgiving.
Same applies at Christmas time. In the UK our Christmas dessert is a steamed dried fruit pudding which are usually made in advance and re-heated on the day.
I use my slow cooker for that which frees up a burner.
I cook a small amount of parsley, thyme and lemon stuffing in the neck of the bird and leave the cavity unstuffed.
I also use an apple for moistness, but take it out when the bird has cooled if there are left overs because it attracts bacteria quickly.
Vegetables can be pre-prepared and microwave cooked/reheated.
Turkey roll and pre-basted birds are not good value because of the amount of water pumped into them making weight you can't eat, and also increasing the amount of salt per portion.
If you really only like white meat, British supermarkets sell 'turkey crowns' which are the breast portions only on the bone.
Karen, Out to eat...hmmm that is not a bad idea!
Jennifer, Thank you for the detailed list. The pudding sounds interesting. Is there some place on line I can see a recipe?