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Turkey Cooking Times Per Pound

November 24, 2010 by · Comments Off on Turkey Cooking Times Per Pound 

Turkey Cooking Times Per Pound, Make Thanksgiving dinner a happy memory for all your guests. Follow these tips from experts on food security in ShelfLifeAdvice.com ™ to ensure proper handling and preparing your Thanksgiving feast.

Turkey Preparation

• If you are getting a fresh turkey, purchase it no more than 1-2 days before you plan on cooking.

• To defrost a frozen turkey safely, thawed in the refrigerator in its original container on a frame grabber, fat. In general, thawing requires at least 24 hours per five pounds. To thaw the turkey in less time, place bird in leakproof containers and submerge in cold tap water. Change water every 30 minutes to keep the cold and wait melting occurs at a rate of 30 minutes per pound. Depending on the birds and the size of the oven, defrost the turkey in the microwave is another option. If thawed in the microwave, the turkey should be cooked immediately after thawing.

• Most food safety experts recommend NOT stuffing a turkey.

• When cooking turkey, the oven temperature must be below 325 ° F. To determine the approximate cooking time, consult the instructions that come with the turkey or a cookbook. (Keep in mind that the stuffed turkeys should be cooked longer.) Turkey is “doing” when it reaches 165 ° F. For best quality, cook the white meat to 170 ° F and dark meat to 180 ° F. Use a food thermometer to check internal temperature of the turkey in three locations: the deepest part of thigh, the wing and the thickest part of the breast.

• If you stuff the turkey, check the temperature of the stuffing to make sure it also has reached at least 165 ° F. Do not assume that the stuffing reaches 165 ° F if the turkey is.

• If the turkey is done early or your guests arrive late, do not carve the turkey in advance. Try to keep the whole turkey above 140 ° C. (The “danger zone” in which rapidly growing pathogens is 40 ° F-140 ° F) for a short wait while the turkey wrap with foil high strength, and then cover with a towel. For further waiting, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and put the whole bird back into the furnace to keep warm without burning it. To keep moisture from birds, put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. (This is also a good technique to keep the carved meat and hot.)

Carving the turkey

• Before class, wait 15-20 minutes to allow juices to absorb cooked turkey and get maximum humidity. Allow to cool slightly will also make easier the process of carving.

Preparation of the sides

• If you are making your own cranberry sauce, start by looking at the berries and discard those that are wrinkled or have defects. (You can use the white.) By the way, fresh blueberries are kept in the refrigerator for about two weeks. If you buy more time than that, it is frozen. Do not thaw before cooking.

• Be sure to wash all fruits and vegetables (including her sweet potato and pumpkin for a pie) just before serving or cooking them. Rinse with cold water. Even if the outside of a fruit or vegetable is not going to be eaten, yet to be washed to remove dirt and other contaminants that could reach the interior of the products.

Put away perishable leftovers

• Get all perishable foods quickly cooled in the refrigerator as soon as possible. For faster cooling, cut the leftover meat from turkey bones and discard the carcass. Large plates of hot food can be set in a pan of ice water to cool. Do not put a lot of filler remains hot stew, or vegetables in the refrigerator in a large bowl. Divide these foods in smaller portions, and place these containers in different sections of the refrigerator.

Life Advice home page has many more tips for cooks Thanksgiving. For additional information about food preparation, see the following articles of Life Advisory:

• Yikes! The turkey is done, but the guests are delayed! How I can keep my Thanksgiving dinner warm?

• Using a Turkey Fryer: Tips and Warnings

• All you need to know about cranberry sauce

• Proof of Turkey for Christmas dinner

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