Never mind, the other forum convinced me to cook it asap, so it's in the oven now. Guess I'll just have lots of turkey "leftovers" in the freezer - not that that's a bad thing!

If you can stand another step, canning would reduce any risk even further. It may be a pain, but it's hard to imagine anything that would survive a pressure canner.

Carol

Ha, you had to say that, didn't you Carol? Knowing that I have a pressure canner just waiting to be used for something....

I will admit that I am somwhat afraid to can meat. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. I look at the meat canning threads and think, nope not yet.

Do you really think there's any reason to be concerned about this turkey? I sure hope not, as we ate some last night! And it was good. I cooked it a new way - for me. I did it back-side up on high heat for an hour, then flipped it over and did breast-side up on low heat till done. It did turn out moist.

I admit that I often thaw meat at room temp. Are the rest of you good about not doing that? If so, how do you thaw quickly? I hate the microwave, it always cooks the edges. I use warm water a lot too. The problem is I so often forget to thaw something ahead of time, so I come home from work and have to quick-thaw. Maybe we've just been lucky, but no problems so far.

Thanks for the suggestion, Carol!

Ann

I thaw meat in cool water. I don't like the idea of using hot water since I fear the outside would get too warm and contribute to bacterial growth while the inside is still frozen. It takes a little longer than warm water though so that might not work if you're in a hurry. I often cook beef and fish partially frozen but not poultry or pork.

I was more careless (or less paranoid) when I was young. Maybe because almost everything we ate except flour or sugar we raised or grew, so from barn or field to table it was entirely under our control.

But now I'm older and cooking meat I buy in a store. I have DH with health problems and there's been lots of illness in the older generation, so I've become very aware of the increased risk with compromised immune systems. It's made me pay more attention. I just figured it was time to develop better habits.

You've got to break in that canner sometime! What a perfect opportunity.

As far as coming home to frozen meat, ahem . . . if it's canned, no problem. OK, I've hit that enough. Usually at such times I go for ground beef and just cook it in the pan frozen, breaking it apart as it thaws. Then I use it for casserole, spaghetti sauce, etc. The time's about equal. I also keep minestrone, stuffed green peppers, spaghetti sauce, etc. in the freezer. They can be thawed while heating stovetop or while baking.

Carol

I always thawed my holiday turkeys in my kitchen sink, at room temperature over night. Now I buy a locally raised Amish turkey and it's fresh, so I pick it up the day before I need it and either keep it in a cooler packed with ice or, if it's cold enough, in my unheated garage. There's never room in the refrigerator, which is why I always thawed mine in the sink.

Because I raise my own meat and all the food that the animals eat, I'm somewhat "careless" about rules. I eat raw beef regularly, and I tossed some fresh cranberries in raw egg white (from my own hens) and sugar and munched on them all weekend, in spite of the warnings against salmonella.

Still, if I had a family member with compromised health, or I were eating commercial meat I'd be a lot more careful about cooking to appropriate temperatures and such.

Annie

I'm jealous, Annie, but let's call it inspiration for when I own a house instead of renting.

I make traditional Caesar salad with 1-minute eggs, "for consenting adults only" (no pregnant friends or dogs either). Next summer I WILL find time to make the apricot-almond jam from Mes Confitures, and the one or two jars that contain the apricot seeds will be marked with a skull and crossbones. :-)

Melissa

Grrr, I've really been having troubles with GW from my home computer recently.

Anyway, I tried to write last night to say - don't worry, Carol, you did not "hit it too hard" in the least. Actually, you made me laugh! So far the only thing I have done with my pressure canner was the creamed corn, and I was not very impressed with the results of that. However, I love it as a regular BWB! The pot is much nicer and easier to use than my old black speckled kettle. So at least it's getting used.

As for the safety issues, I would also be very careful if I had someone with health issues in the home. As it is, I consider myself a "fairly" careful cook, and I think my kitchen is very clean. Thawing meat is really about the only thing I am bad about. I guess I've been lucky so far.

Thanks all.
Ann