r
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Nov. 20, 1976
56
Ladies Have
Lancaster Home Economist
LET’S TALK TURKEY
If Ben Franklin had his
way back in Colonial days,
the turkey and not the bald
eagle would now appear on
the Great Seal of the United
States. America gave turkey
to the world but the wiry,
wild creatures of Colonial
days are not the same as
today’s meaty, plump,
tender birds. With some of
the biggest turkey-eating
days just around the comer,
it’s time to “talk turkey” so
here are some tips on
buying.
Classes Of Turkey. There
are three classes of turkeys.
Size, age and sex determine
the class. Age influences
tenderness which' in turn
helps to determine the
cooking method. First is the
fryer-roaster, a young,
immature bird, usually less
than 16 weeks of age-and
weighing 4 to 8 pounds ready
to-cook. The meat is very
tender, but generally not as
much meat in relation to
bone as older turkeys
because the fryer—roaster is
still growing. A second class
is turkeys labeled young hen
or young tom. They are
usually under 8 months of
age and range in weight
from 8 pounds to over 20
pounds. A third class is fully
matured, less-tender turkeys
which are rarely found in
retail stores today. They are
used mostly in further
processed products.
Retailers are more likely to
class turkeys on the basis of
weight rather than age.
Mark Of Quality. For
assurance of quality, look for
a shield-shaped U.S. Grade
mark. Using the U.S. Grade
as a guide, you can be sure of
the kind of quality for which
you are paying. Turkeys are
often advertised as being
“inspected”—which means
the birds were examined
before and after processing
and the facilities are
operated in a sanitary
manner. It has nothing to do
with quality. All graded
birds are inspected but not
SERVICE IS OUR BUSINESS
READY MIX CONCRETE FOR EVERY PURPOSE
A DIVISION OF A. G. KURTZ & SONS INC.
•Crushed Stone •Ready Mixed Concrete •Asphalt Paving
• QUALITY CONTROLLED CONCRETE • RADIO EQUIPPED FLEET
« MIX UNIFORMITY THRU AUTOMATION • SATURDAY MORNING DEUVERY
Prompt Courteous Service
DENVER RD#3 . . . PHONE 215-267-7591
You Heard?
By Doris Thomas
all inspected birds are
graded. The inspection label
is a round mark, the grade
label is a shield-shaped
mark. Inspection represents
wholesomeness, grading
represents quality.
Plan For Thawing Time.
Plan your schedule far
enough <n advance to allow
time for proper thawing of
the turkey. There are three
recommended thawing
procedures so choose one
that best suits your needs.
One way is to puncture the
original moisture-proof
wrapper and thaw in the
refrigerator. Allow two to
four days for defrosting
(about 24 hours for every 5
pounds). Another method is
to place the bird, still in its
original wrapper, under cold
running water. Allow six to
eight hours for-a medium
size bird. Room-temperature
thawing is recommended if
proper methods are used.
Leave the turkey in the
original wrapper and place
in a closed paper bag. The
paper bag permits complete
thawing with safe surface
temperature. Large turkeys
will require about 16 hours.
DO NOT thaw frozen, pre
stuffed turkeys.
TURKEYS WITH
CONVENIENCE
FEATURES
Today’s turkey’s come
with a variety of con
venience features. You may
already appreciate time
saving, self-basting turkeys,
ready-stuffed birds and boil
in-the-bag slices with gravy.
But food researchers con
tinue to seek new ways to
make cooking easier.
One new item is a turkey
that cooks in its own clear
bag. The package has a
seam, held together by
special glue, which breaks
open a haf-hour before the
turkey is, done to permit
browning.
Since the package turkey
cooks by the steam method,
cooking time is reduced.
However, the packaging
prohibits stuffing the bird
and storing the giblets inside
the turkey.
Another convenience item
on the market is a turkey
with a built-in thermometer
that pops up when the turkey
is fully cooked. However,
these thermometers aren’t
entirely reliable and you
should use them only as a
guide.
Your holiday turkey
doesn’t have to be
traditional. Try some of the
new turkey products on the
market.
THANKSGIVING
DINNER
SERVE IT SAFELY
The dining room table may
seat only 6 or 8, but
somehow, families find ways
to stretch the food and the
table space at Thanksgiving.
That’s part of the tradition!
Entertaining a large
family gathering is fun but it
needs to be done safely, too.
Roast turkey—the favorite
Thanksgiving entree— is a
perishable food. Always
thaw a frozen turkey in the
refrigerator. If you must
thaw it more quickly, put in a
waterproof plastic bag, seal
tightly, and defrost in cold
water. Thawing frozen
poultry at room temperature
gives bacteria a chance to
grow. This is especially true
with large frozen turkeys
because of the long time it
takes them to thaw com
pletely.
Cook turkey thoroughly, to
an internal temperature of
180-190 degrees F. Never
partially cook it and finish
cooking later. Bacteria can
survive m partially cooked
poultry.
Cook turkey stuffing inside
a warm turkey, cook until
the meat thermometer in
serted into the stuffing
reaches at least 165 degrees
F. Never stuff turkey the
night before cooking.
Do not thaw commercially
frozen stuffed poultry before
baking. Put it directly into
the oven.
Refrigerate turkey lef
tovers immediately.
Remove all stuffiogf store Do not let these foods stand
separately. *' at room temperature more
Scalloped oysters— than two hours,
another holiday favorite in Can perishable foods such
some households—are also as seafood, poultry, and
highly perishable. Keep cooked meats be kept HOT
them refrigerated or frozen (above 140 degrees F)?
until just before cooking. In Bacteria grow best in
serving, keep them HOT lukewarm foods. Never let
(above 140 degreesF). Serve these foods stand at room
quickly; refrigerate lef- - temperature more than two
tovers immediately. hours.
Can you prepare and serve Holiday meals are fun but
the food to avoid foodbofhe need careful planning. How
illness? Your family may many people can you safely
enjoy meals every day serve? And, how much tune
without problems, but on will it take to prepare the
holidays when large groups food? Don’t try to feed more
get together, the types and people than you can handle.
larger quantities of foods .
present different problems. [Conhnued on Pa * e 57 1
You may not have enough
refrigerator space
Bacteria cair cause food
poisoning. All they need to
grow is the right com
bination of time, tem
perature, and moisture.
Foodborne illness can
cause diarrhea, vomiting,
stomach cramps, and other
unpleasant symptoms which
can last several hours or
even days. With young
children and elderly people,
the results can be more
severe. Often, people
mistake foodborne illness for
simple “bug” or virus. The
real cause may be food that
was not properly handled,
prepared, or served. This
can be prevented.
Can perishable foods such
as cream pies, seafoods, and
dishes made with eggs, fish,
meat, and poultry be kept
COLEi (below 40 degrees F)?
FEED STORAGE AND FLEX
AUGER DEUVERY SYSTEM
The Original Flex Auger Delivering Up To 2400 lbs. Per Hr. OR
The NEW "Hi-C" Flex Auger Delivering Up To 6000 lbs. Per Hr.
Agri Equip., Inc. offers complete
• SALES • INSTALLATION • SERVICE
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR ON ALL CHORE- TIME EQUIPMENT
RD2 Ephrata, PA 17522
(Farmersville)
FARMERS - DEALERS
TONS OF NEW BELTING -1" TO 6' WIDE.
RUBBER, COTTON & NYLON
2 TO 8 PLY-ALL LENGTHS
SOLD SINGLY OR URGE LOTS
MANY VARIOUS USES AROUND THE FARM
1 LB. TO 1,000 LBS. *l.OO per lb.
1.000 to 2,000 lbs. * .75 per lb.
2.000 lbs. and up . 5 .50 per lb.
HARTZELL’S AUCTION GALLERY LOCATED
ON THE BANGOR-RICHMOND RD. JUST
OUTSIDE BANGOR BORO, PA. OFF ROUTE 611
IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY. CALL 215-588-
5831 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
DON’T PASS UP THIS FINE OFFER.
MELVIN AK n RAYMOND HARIZELL
AUCTIONEERS
Phone
Bus. 717-354-4271
Prompt Delivery Parts Via U.P.S.
ERTH-RITE
SOIL CONDITIONER
MAXICROP
LIQUID PUNT
FEEDING
FEED-RITE
Vitamin S Mineral for livestock
and poultry
ZOOK &
RANCK, INC.
RDI, Gap, PA 17527
Phone 717-442-4171