Turkey tips from USDA

[Mike Nolan]

A timely release from USDA on turkey thawing, cooking and leftovers:
USDA release

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[BakerAunt]

Thanks for posting these reminders, Mike.

I have a comment on the refrigerator thawing time. When we have let the turkey thaw for a day for each 4-5 pounds, we have ended up with a still frozen turkey, and those were smaller turkeys. This year, we have a turkey over 20 lbs. because it was an excellent price at Aldi's, and we (and the dog) will have no trouble eating it all.

I moved the turkey from the freezer to a pan in the refrigerator before noon today. That is eight days before we will roast it. The Butterball turkey guidelines have the same refrigerator thawing time as the USDA guidelines, but it says that a thawed turkey can rest in the refrigerator for up to four days after thawing, so if it miraculously thaws in the allotted time, which I am certain it will not, it should be fine until we put it into the oven.

I'm interested in knowing if other people have found the USDA and Butterball thawing time in the refrigerator to result in a turkey that is thawed and not still frozen in the center.

[Mike Nolan]

I bought a nearly 18 pound turkey at Aldi's yesterday (and it was one of the smaller ones), and was planning to put it in the refrigerator Sunday or Monday. I'll have to get it out early Thursday morning to make sure it is defrosted. Cooking time is likely to be 4 to 4 1/2 hours for one that big at 350 so I need it in the oven around noon if I want dinner by 5:30 or 6.

I don't put stuffing to eat in the bird, but I do stuff the cavity with the same mixture James Beard recommends for roast goose: Prunes soaked in brandy, almonds, apples and 'here and there a lemon slice'. The fruit really impacts the drippings so it makes wonderful gravy.

My son spatchcock's his turkey, that cuts the cooking time a lot.

Smaller turkeys are scarce again this year, I hear, I've seen a few 12-14 pound ones but most have been 15+. I saw one at Super Saver that was 30-31 pounds, a lot of people won't have an oven big enough for that big a bird.

[BakerAunt]

My husband is in charge of the turkey roasting. He sets the temperature at 340. We also decided that the turkey will need to go in to the oven at noon in order for it to cook and then rest before carving.

It will be just the three of us for Thanksgiving: my husband, me, and our dog. In past years, my husband has roasted the turkey in the oven in the little apartment kitchen, but we started a renovation on that space in July, and we have not seen our contractor and crew, who were working on and off, for over a month, so the stove is not in position to be used. It will have to cook in the house oven.

[chocomouse]

I bought a 20 lb frozen turkey today, the smallest one I could find. I was debating whether to put it in the freezer for a couple days or let it start thawing. It turns out my freezers are too full for such a big bird, so it is in the fridge. This discussion is making me feel better about that.

[RiversideLen]

Whenever I've followed the guideline for thawing turkey, I've had to struggle with attempting to remove the neckbone and gizzards from a still frozen cavity. I've learned to allow a couple of extra days.

I have Amazon Fresh in my area, that is (usually) same day delivery of fresh groceries. Beginning yesterday they started offering fresh turkeys. I am having my brother over on Sunday for our Thanksgiving get together as he has other plans for Thanksgiving day. So I bought a bought a fresh Butterball. The options this year seem to be more limited, all they were offering were birds in the 12-14 pound range. They have more options for frozen birds. I got a 13 pounder. Another thing that appears to be in short supply is cranberry sauce. Fortunately I have a couple of cans on the shelf.

I think I'm going to cook the bird in a covered pan, which roasts/steams it and it gets done faster. It doesn't make for a picture perfect presentation but it's always came out tender and moist, plus plenty of pan juices for gravy.

[BakerAunt]

I read somewhere that a shortage of canned cranberry sauce is the result of a lack of cans. Whether that is true or not, I do not know. However, my husband does not care for cranberry sauce, and I like fresh cranberry sauce, so that is not a problem for us.

I did stock up on TWO blue bags of Pepperidge Farm stuffing.

Len--my husband always covers the turkey with foil. It does keep it moist, although I miss the browned skin (which, of course, I should not be eating anyway).

[Mike Nolan]

I'm not a big fan of cranberry sauce, either, though I do like dried cranberries.

[chocomouse]

I cover the turkey with foil, but take it off for the last half hour or so to brown it. My store did not have any of the Pepperidge Farm blue bags two weeks ago or this week. So I bought their herbed dressing but in cubes instead of the "crumbs". I assume it has the same seasonings, I hope, and I may try to chop up the cubes a bit in the Cuisinart.

[cwcdesign]

I went to Harris Teeter on Sunday to be sure I could get a turkey breast. The freezer was pretty empty. I asked the butcher the million dollar question - were they going to get in more of the Empire brand and he said no. I went with Shady Brook - it had less stuff in it than the Butterball. They also had Plainville organic but the breast (frozen also) was $46!

The Shady Brook package said to thaw in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since we are going to some friends’ house on Thanksgiving, we’ve decided to cook the turkey Sunday after. Ina;so gave a crazy week at work next week so it will be nice not to have to worry about it.

And, I bought 4 cans of pumpkin purée on sale - there wasn’t very much left. I’ll be interested if they get more in

[skeptic7]

I was at Kroger's yesterday. KAF all purpose flour was on sell for $2.99! I didn't have time to look at whole wheat. I probably won't be able to do any baking for a long time. I'm at my father's house and I don't know if he saved any of my mother's baking tools especially measuring cups and flour sifters. Those of you who have vacation homes, what do you take with you so that you can bake. I could do normal cooking here as Dad has stove and range top and frying pans.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--When we were still living in Texas, and our now Indiana home was the "vacation" place, I had a set of the essentials there. That was easy in that we had kitchen items from my husband's parents' home that we had saved. I supplemented with trips to the local thrift store. I also bought some knives for there, since the ones his parents had were not so great. When I got better baking sheets for the home kitchen, I brought the older ones here. I bought a few metal mixing bowls from T.J. Maxx, so that I would have the sizes I needed. So, I would say, first take stock of what is there, then make a list of what are essentials for you.

Now that we live here, and sometimes do extended trips, I have a bin in which I put cooking items that can travel. It has measuring cups, measuring spoons, a liquid measure. It also has a case with knives and a sharpener, as most vacation places do not have sharp knives. I haven't done a lot of baking on our winter trips to Florida (and we won't be going this year again due to the still active Covid-19 issues), but I told my husband that next time we go, I want to take the smaller bread machine, as we could not find good bread nearby. My plan is to bag the dry ingredients for various breads and rolls, so that they are premeasured for use and to take yeast separately. I would take a bread pan and a smaller baking sheet. I also like my own mixing spatulas and a small whisk.

It all depends on what you are hoping to bake. You did not get advance notice to prepare, so you are starting from scratch.

We stayed at one place that had no baking sheets, and I ended up buying a nice, rimmed Kitchen Aid one at a local Tuesday Morning, which I use all the time at home.

You might be able to find measuring cups, etc. at local thrift stores.

[BakerAunt]

After eight days defrosting in the refrigerator, our 20 lb. turkey was still frozen in the cavity, which required putting it in the sink and running water through it to dislodge the neck and giblets and get it thawed so that it could go into the oven at about 12:30 p.m. According to my notes, from back when I roasted the turkey, this size takes about four and a half to five hours, then needs to rest at least 20 minutes before carving. My husband insists on cutting up the entire turkey before we sit down to eat, so I have learned to time my making of the dressing/stuffing in its dish accordingly. (I saved it in the past by adding more broth.)

[chocomouse]

I put my 20 lb turkey in the refrigerator last Wednesday afternoon, and it was defrosted by noon today. So, that was 7 1/2 days. I'll roast it for 4 1/2- 5 hours; it should be done in another 1/2 hour or so. That means I'd better go peel the potatoes! Everything else is ready.

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