Let The Thaw Begin: How to Safely Prepare Your Thanksgiving Turkey Texas A&M AgriLife offers expert guidelines for thawing and cooking your turkey — and saving those delicious leftovers.
Be prepared before you start cooking Before you shop, you should determine not only the size of turkey you’ll need — usually about 1 to 1 ½ pounds per person — as well as whether your refrigerator and oven are big enough to handle the bird. Measure your refrigerator’s shelf space and your oven’s interior and then take a measuring tape to the market. If your appliances are on the smaller side, you can opt to cook two small birds, which will also provide more drumsticks for the leg lovers in your group.
Make sure you have a meat thermometer. If not, buy one before you start cooking. Having one ready will help avoid under- or overcooking the bird and the possible foodborne illness or awkward glares that might accompany those outcomes, respectively.
Be mindful of food safety You also need to avoid the safety pitfalls associated with this holiday tradition, so practicing food safety is extremely important when it comes to handling that big bird.
Older, younger or immunecompromised family members or guests can be put in serious danger from foodborne illness from a lack of food safety — and that is something for which nobody will ever be thankful.
It’s important to properly cook the meat to the correct temperatures and to be mindful of sanitary food handling throughout the steps, whether preparing, cooking, carving, serving or storing leftovers.
How to thaw a frozen turkey ■ Refrigerator thawing: The recommended method is to allow 24 hours for each 4-5 pounds of bird weight in a refrigerator 40 degrees or lower. Once refrigeratorthawed, a turkey can be left in the refrigerator for one to two days before cooking.
■ Cold-water thawing: Keep the turkey in its original wrapping and allow 30 minutes of defrosting per pound. Change the water every 30 minutes and be careful to avoid cross contamination. Do not let the water splash onto counters, cooking utensils or food. Make sure to thoroughly wash the sink afterward.
■ Microwave thawing: Use the defrost function, remove outside wrapping and allow 6 minutes per pound. Cook immediately after thawing.
■ Do not wash your turkey prior to cooking.
How to safely cook a turkey ■ Your bird is not safe to eat until it reaches 165 degrees or more.
■ Don’t rely on color. You cannot tell if a turkey is done by its color.
■ Check three different places: the thickest part of breast, innermost wing and innermost thigh.
■ If you cook the bird with stuffing, that stuffing must also reach at least 165 degrees.
■ If you go the turducken route, or any other combination of poultry as nesting dolls, they all must reach 165 degrees to be safe for consumption.
How to store leftovers
Here are some tips on leftovers: ■ Refrigerate turkey within two hours.
■ Store leftovers tightly wrapped and in small portions and place in a refrigerator. The key temperature to avoid bacteria growth is 40 degrees and below.
■ Leftovers should be used up in three days.
■ Frozen leftovers can last two to six months.