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Turkey Day Tips

17 years ago

I thought it would be neat to start a thread of helpful Turkey Day tips for all of us who might need it.

Heres mine: Your turkey will need to defrost ONE day for every FIVE pounds (i.e. 15 lb. bird will need 3 days to defrost). So if you have a 25 lb bird (God bless you!), you need to put your frozen bird in the refrigerator NLT tomorrow!

Anyone else have some helpful tips?

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Comments (12)

User
17 years ago
Set your table at least the day before, including all serving spoons and forks, relish dishes etc.

Make sure that you have all your serving pieces lined up on the counter and place a little sticky on each of them indicating what it's for. Helps cut down the chaos as you start to serve the dinner.
lindac
17 years ago
You can cook a turkey from solid frozen....but you can't stuff it!
Just put it in a 450 oven for about an hour until you can get the bag of giblets out, then turn it down to 375 and cook until done. It helps to have an instant read thermometer.
Linda C
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Claire...your turkey's on photo of the day!
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Claire, Very nice pic...it shows a Tom presenting on the right and 3 other turkeys on the left, snow on the ground. Doesn't give a date or any other info that I can tell. I didn't know there was such a thing as picture of the day. Susan
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Comments (11)
Being mostly vegetarian I am turkey challenged as well. But I am a firm believer in natural turkeys, meaning ones coming fresh from a farm that you know how they were raised and organic in a pinch. These turkeys are WAY smaller than those huge, Butterball type ones you get in the store, and are really quite easy to prepare. No more difficult than roasting a chicken for Sunday dinner. I'm not sure about doing 3 at a time though. I'm not really sure about doing two at a time. I just did one 12lb. one for my small family and that was plenty. Honestly, I would do one the day before and put it in a roasting pan with some dressing and freshen it with broth the next day and cover with foil and have it ready to go. You're supposed to be giving thanks on Thanksgiving and enjoying time with friends and family, not running a restaurant. And if you could do one on the grill, that might be fun. My aunt was famous for her barbecued turkey, which she did at summer picnics instead of chicken. They had one of those electric rotisserie grills. But honestly, you can't go wrong with the smaller turkeys. I was so worried my first time, but now I think roasting birds is the easiest thing. It's really up to you how you want to do them, all methods are good. I just roast because that's the easiest for me. The times when I've had bad birds was due to the breeding and bird itself, the quality of the meat, not the preparation. That's really the key, get a good bird to start with and you really can't go wrong. The only other thing that is death to a roasted bird is having it sit in the oven or over the heat however you are preparing it, long after it is done. So invest in a good, reliable meat thermometer. Both times I've had dry turkey it was due to the turkey being held and "warmed" for WAY too long.
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Rachel Ray's Turkey Tip (share yours too!)
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Comments (33)
Alton Brown has had a show on brining for a long time and he explains it well. A pail is fine if you have a walk in cooler like the 4time felon, but for normal people, a cooler is a better option. You still need to keep the bird cold. Be warned: do NOT brine an "enhanced" bird, like a "Butterball" or the like! They're already injected with a lot of extra salt, extra fat and other fluids and if you add more, ugh. (shudder) Also, many have opted for the pre-salting method rather than brining. (Same caution applies.) You can also dry rub the turkey for a different taste. Frankly, AFAIC, basic is often better with turkey. If it's a decent bird and cooked properly (and of course assuming you like poultry) it's virtually always good. Sometimes you can mess up a good thing by trying to do too much with it. Seriously give some thought to an electric roaster as a second oven. That's what it is. They're fabulous for the holidays and can be used year round for a variety of things. Social gatherings, picnics, BBQs, graduations, block parties, baking, warming, making chili for a crowd, there's a bunch of uses and they're inexpensive. They cost less than a crockpot and a far more useful!
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happy turkey day y'all
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Comments (7)
Hey folks. Making the annual pilgrimage to the parents-in-law. I had to abandon the repotting and slicing in mid-cut. Hmp. That bird better be good. I dug up a tylecodon too, just to see why it's not waking up. No roots! At least I'm not driving right now. I'll post a picture of the two turkeys when I meet them hehehe Happy Thanksgiving! And drink one for the Wampanoags, yes? . Pagan
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lowspark
17 years ago
My tip: wrangle an invitation from a family member or friend. Offer to bring an appetizer.
marymd7
17 years ago
If you've been up since 5:00 a.m. baking rolls and pies, it's ok to start drinking wine at 10:00 a.m.
jessyf
17 years ago
Whatever you do, DON'T watch this youtube video.....

(you just had to, didn't you?)
susie_que
17 years ago
If its below 40 degrees where you live you can store your defrosting and or brining turkey outside in a shaded spot!!
Learned that from Paul James LOL!! Actually do it most years!!

When in doubt do as May does!!

Cheers!
Susie
JoanM
17 years ago
If you premake any casseroles bring them to room temp before baking or allow a little extra time in the oven.

Don't have the second glass of Amaretto until the gravy is made.
compumom
17 years ago
Kathy- OT, but did you get my email through GW?
If you didn't please send me an email through GW and I'll respond. It was something that you said on the Synthyroid thread.
Thanks!
annie1992
17 years ago
My best tip? Don't forget to be thankful. Thankful for your family, for your friends, for the ability to have dinner together, for the food and the roof over our heads, that our families are safe and whole. Be thankful for every baby and new puppy and new fiancee around our tables.

Thanksgiving is the holiday all Americans get to have if they choose, no matter the religion, their ethnic background, their gender. Just be thankful.

Oh, and don't forget to get a turkey big enough to have leftovers the next day.

Annie
dixiedog_2007
17 years ago
Annie - AMEN!:)
dgkritch
17 years ago
I'll second that AMEN!
My 28 pounder has been in the fridge since Wed. night. (TG for 2nd fridge!)
If you're a "lightweight" like me, DON'T start drinking at 10.....waking up to the thermometer alarm sucks!

Wishing everyone a happy, joyful, thankful holiday!

Deanna
lisbet
17 years ago
Sit down with paper and pencil and plan your day ahead of time. Write down in the order of time needed to cook each item, and when to put onto the fire, or in oven, so everything is ready and hot to put on the table at the same time.

Take care not to overcook your veggies. I cook my vegetables just to the very brink of doneness; pull off of the heat; put a lid on the pot and allow to finish cooking on their own. Then when you are ready to put the vegetables into the serving dishes they will be cooked just right and not overcooked. (It took me a while to "catch wise" to this method....I had a tendancy to overcook!)

Then post your schedule on the fridge door, or a spot where you can easily refer to the list as you work.

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