By Mike Pound
mpound@joplinglobe.com
So you picked up this paper and saw the picture of the near perfectly prepared turkey running next to this story, and one horrifying thought ran through your head: “Oh no! Our turkey is still sitting in our freezer! What do I do?!”
Well, the first thing you should do, according to Jane Allen, is relax. All is not lost. Your proverbial goose is not proverbially cooked. Although, ideally you probably should have taken your turkey out of the freezer and placed it in your refrigerator a couple of days ago, you still have time to thaw your bird, Allen said.
And she should know. Allen is one of the many official Butterball Turkey Hotline advisers. Allen is a home economist who has been working at Butterball for 25 years and has spent most of her time fielding questions from panicked turkey cooks.
Allen said the “How do I thaw my turkey?” question is by far the most common.
“We get calls from people who put the turkey in the refrigerator and aren’t sure that it’s thawing,” Allen said. “And from people who are in a hurry and want to know the quickest way to thaw the turkey.”
For the record: The best place to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, and the size of the turkey determines when it should be taken out of the freezer, Allen said
“We recommend one day in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of turkey,” Allen said.
The turkey should be kept in its wrapper while thawing and, to prevent raw poultry juice from contaminating other food in your refrigerator, the Butterball folks recommend that you place it on a tray or plate.
Of course, as everyone knows, sometimes things happen. For whatever reason — forgetfulness, a last minute change in plans, unexpected company — some people find themselves on the day before Thanksgiving with a frozen turkey.
Allen said a turkey can be safely thawed in a relative hurry using the “cold water” method. To do that you should place the turkey, in its wrapper, breast side down in cold water to cover. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep the service cold. Allow 30 minutes per pound to thaw.
But what happens if company is expecting turkey in five hours and you’re looking at a iced bird? Allen, again says, “Relax.” She doesn’t recommend it, but it is still possible to turn out a done turkey even if it’s frozen when it goes into the oven.
“You can still cook it frozen and it will turn out fine,” Allen said. “It’s just going to take longer.”
Allen said, depending on the size of the turkey, it will take two to three hours longer to cook a frozen turkey than it will to cook a thawed turkey.
Cooking times
So assuming you’re starting with a thawed turkey, what is the best way to guarantee happy Thanksgiving diners? Not surprisingly, Allen recommends the Butterball Open Pan Roasting Method, which is as follows:
Place thawed or fresh turkey, breast up, on a flat rack in a shallow pan, 2 to 2-1⁄2 inches deep. Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Brush or rub skin with oil to prevent drying of the skin and to enhance the golden color. Place in a preheated 325 degree oven.
When the skin is a light golden color and the turkey is about two-thirds done, shield the breast with a loose tent of lightweight foil to prevent overcooking of the breast.
Use this roasting schedule as a guideline; start checking for doneness a half-hour before recommended end times, according to the net weight:
• 10 to 18 pounds: 3 to 31⁄2 hours, unstuffed; 33⁄4 to 41⁄2 hours, stuffed.
• 18 to 22 pounds: 31⁄2 to 41⁄2 hours, unstuffed; 41⁄2 to 5 hours, stuffed.
• 22 to 24 pounds: 4 to 41⁄2 hours, unstuffed; 5 to 51⁄2 hours, stuffed.
• 24 to 30 pounds: 41⁄2 to 5 hours, unstuffed; 51⁄2 to 61⁄4 hours, stuffed.
Turkey is done when the meat thermometer reaches the following temperatures:
• 180 to 185 degrees deep in the thigh. Juices should be clear, not pink, when thigh muscle is pierced deeply.
• 170 to 175 degrees in the thickest part of the breast, just above the rib bones.
• 160 to 165 degrees in the center of the stuffing, if turkey is stuffed.
Let turkey stand for 15 to 20 minutes before carving to allow juices to set.
