Turkey tips given for preparing
NEWARK, Del. - It’s
getting to be that time of
year again - a time of frosty
mornings, warm clothing
and family dinners. And
traditionally, the family
dinner means a roast turkey
with all the trimmings.
In order to insure a safe
holiday dinner, one should
handle and store your turkey
properly, says Christine
Baver, student assistant to
Delaware extension home
economist Sue Schaeffer.
When thawing the turkey,
one should remember that
most food spoilage
organisms grow rapidly
between 40 and 140 degrees
F. Temperatures between 60
and 120 degrees F. are m the
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danger zone, allowing very
rapid bacteria growth If
food is m this temperature
range for three to four hours,
enough bacteria could grow
and survive to cause illness.
Here are three safe
methods for thawing a
turkey:
1. Thaw the turkey in
refrigerator in the orginal
wrap. Place on a tray or
platter to catch the drip
pings. Turkeys under 18
pounds take about one to two
days to thaw; birds 18
pounds and over take about
two to three days.
2. Thaw in cold water.
Place the frozen turkey m its
water-tight wrap in cold
water. Change the water
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frequently to hasten
thawing. Small birds take
about an hour to become
pliable; large turkeys take
up to six to eight hours.
A combination of methods
one and two may be used.
Partly thaw the turkey in the
refrigerator and then
complete in cold water.
3. Thaw the turkey m
paper bags Leave the bird
m its orgmal plastic wrap.
Place in a double thickness
of heavy paper bags and
close the end; or wrap the
bird well in newspapers and
set in a corrugated box.
Place the covered turkey in
the coolest room available. A
12 to 16 pound turkey
requires 12 to 14 hours to
thaw; a 20 to 24 pound turkey
takes from 16 to 18 hours.
In all cases, one should
cook the turkey as soon as
it’s thawed, says Ms. Baver.
Whole turkeys frozen
without giblets, or frozen
poultry parts, can be
roasted, fried, braised or
stewed without thawing. A
cook should allow at least
one-and-a-half tunes the
usual recommended cooking
time for unfrozen or thawed
turkey of the same shape
and weight.
One should never thaw
commercially frozen stuffed
turkey before cooking. Such
birds must be cooked from
the frozen state. A person
should be sure to follow the
directions on the label.
It’s dangerous to partially
roast a turkey one day and
finish cooking it the next.
Bacteria have an added
chance to grow with such a
cooking method. Turkey
flesh would tend to be in the
danger zone (60-120 degrees
F.) for more than four hours.
If staphylocci are present,
they produce a toxin which
causes a type of food
poisoning. The delayed
cooking method would
contribute to the danger. So
one should complete your
roasting all at one tune.
Roasting a turkey at a low
temperature all night is
another dangerous practice,
says Ms. Baver. Such low
cooking temperatures would
not entirely destroy harmful
bacteria and might well
result m increased growth of
microorganisms.
Another unsafe practice is
to stuff the turkey the nighi
before, then roast the bird in
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 11,1978
holiday dinners
the morning. The
refrigerated stuffed turkey
would be a potential hazard,
possibly harboring food
spoilage bacteria. If one
makes stuffing ahead, it
should be stored separately
in the refrigerator.
After the big meal, one
should remove every bit of
stuffing from the bird as
soon as possible after ser
ving, cool it quickly, and
refrigerate and use it within
one to two days.
A person should remove
the meat from the bones as
soon as possible after ser
ving and cool quickly. The
meat should be stored in the
coldest part of the
refrigerator and used within
one to two days.
Turkey meat can be
frozen. Covered with broth
or gravy, cooked turkey
slices or pieces may be held
for six months; meat without
gravy may be held one
month.
What can a person do with
the leftover turkey?
As 1 settled down into the driver’s seat of the
three-quarter ton pickup, I felt like I had come
home. Happily gripping the steering wheel, for a
moment I just enjoyed the truck around me
I have always had a special fondness for the
farmer's friend on four wheels, maybe because I
first learned to drive in one Not trusting me to the
family car, my first experience behind the steering
wheel was out in the pasture in an old beatup
pickup, when my father spent most of the time
screaming, “Use the clutch, turn now, watch
where you’re going, look out for that tree, not so
fast, shift, slow down, get out of second gear, etc ”
After that my mother took me driving for awhile
But I still like driving the farm styled pickups,
and nine times out of ten, if I have a choice bet
ween using the truck or the car, I’ll take the truck
Now, taking the truck does not simply involve
going out, hopping into it, and zooming off.
Nosirree 1 There is a definite plan of procedure that
must be followed
First of all, if I'm gonna play‘farmer in the truck',
I have to look the part Now that usually isn’t too
hard, because my friends all know that when I’m
on the farm, 90 per cent of the time I look like
something the cat dragged in Nevertheless, I
always have to have my old clothes on or I feel
uncomfortable in the truck
Then there is the matter of the German
Shepherd As far as she is concerned, trucks have
one purpose in life—to be ridden in One is not
allowed to drive off without first installing her in
the back of the pickup And even though she is
now 13 years old, and that means half lifting her
in, you just couldn’t think of leaving her behind
Finally there are the supplies to be taken One
can just never go somewhere in the truck without
taking something along, unless it is to pick
something up As a result usually one throws a
haybale in the back, or a cowboy hat in the front,
or carries a footlong list to the farm supply store
Then comes the moment that I’ve been waiting
for I jump into the cab, turn the key, and shift into
gear Off we roar, whether it's me and ten sheep,
me and the dog, or me and friends, or even just me
and the truck Somehow, in the truck, adventure
always seems just around the corner.
I guess that that is what the expression-- Keep
on truckin'-is really all about
Curries, casseroles,
croquettes, salads, soups,
and sandwiches all can use
turkey meat.
TURKEY CHOWDER
2 slices bacon. Chopped
V* c. chopped onion
1 c. diced celery
2 c. cubed potatoes
1 c. diced cooked turkey
2 c. turkey broth
1 c. whole kernel com
2 T. chopped parsley
2 T. flour
Ic. milk
salt & pepper
Place bacon in fry pan
over low heat. When part of
the fat has cooked out, add
the onion. Continue cooking
until onion is soft and bacon
is brown.
Meanwhile, cook celery,
potatoes and turkey in broth
until the vegetables are
tender. Add com, cooked
bacon, onion, and parsley.
Blend flour with milk and
stir into cooking mixture.
Cook about 15 minutes more,
stirring occasionally. Season
to taste.
Makes six servings.
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