Food safety question, turkey breast
4 years ago
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4 years ago
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Comments (12)What is in the mix is there....no matter if it "steams" out and drips down or if it's there to begin with, the moisture content is the same....but if it cools with the lid off it will dry out somewhat. My dear late MIL thought that the water that drips off a lid or covering when you cover a hot dish would "poision" you....so all food was left out of the refrigerator, uncovered, to cool before putting away in the refrigerator....including the stuffed thanksgiving turkey.... My poor FIL got sick every Thanksgiving, they blamed it on "rich food". My SIl reportedly got sick sometimnes too....I guess some are just more prone to food born illnesses than others. But after the first Thanksgiving, I never ate there again for a Turkey dinner....the following year someone else had the meal.....and after that I did it....and was chastized for putting the turkey away before it was cooled and people had a chance to eat a sandwich! As grain lady said....keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold" ....and with hot foods that must be chilled....make the transition fast! Linda C...See MoreTurkey Question
Comments (5)I like stuffing IN the bird. Like that tip about using bread heel... makes sense it would hold all the goodies inside. My Grandmother LOVED the tail?!? Think she called it "the pope's nose"... don't know why. Didn't seem to be much there worth picking at... mostly fat? Remember last night of a grad course. Knew wasn't gonna be too academic and EVERYBODY was bringing food/drink. One guy came with a HUGE bucket of chicken wings and a smaller bucket of turkey "butts"... from little mom & pop take-out place. It came with a loaf of white sandwich bread and a bottle of hot sauce....See MoreMy turkey was a turkey!
Comments (11)I agree on the pinkness. You can also get a pinky tinge depending on what the bird has been eating. If the texture is smooth and soft and glossy, it's under done. If it's cooked turkey texture, it's cooked. :) I can't deal with all the turkey gymnastics that other people put their birds through. The whole point for me is that it starts early and doesn't need any fussing. Mine goes on a short, silicone covered rack in my "goosepot", which is basically a 15 qt. Le Creuset oval dutch oven. I should say that I always start with a top quality, free range bird, usually about 22 lbs. in the Spring, which means it has defrosted for a few days in the fridge, there being no fresh turkeys that size at Passover time. Recently, I gave up on stuffing, which also shortens the cooking time so I may go back. Without stuffing, I put a lemon and a broken up tarragon branch in the cavity, and a blend of dried herbs and maybe garlic pepper, shaken all around. I don't know that it makes a difference, but it feels like cooking. :) A bottle of cheap (palatable) white table wine in the bottom of the pot. My birds are always too big for the pot lid, so I do the loose tent of heavy duty Reynolds Wrap. Just a sheet of foil, dangling loosely. Then I put it in the oven for the proper amount of time for the size of the bird, take it out, let it rest, and get one of the guys to carve because I'm way too busy at that point to care what happens to it. But it is always gloriously, beautifully brown and juicy. Not crispy skinned. We don't eat the skin, but it is appetizing looking. Because I have a tight fit in the roaster, and the wine in the bottom, people will tell you I'm steaming, rather than roasting the turkey. Fine by me. It tastes good. :) And one year I did six turkey breasts and thighs in the steam oven because I needed more turkey and the big oven for something else. :) I know you know how to cook. Maybe the trick is to not try so hard?...See MoreCooked the turkey breast: long cooking time
Comments (13)Thanks everyone. Yes, I used an oven thermometer. It's an old one (the standard metal frame) and I have no reason to think it's off, since setting the oven 25 degrees lower seems to work almost all the time.... and NOT setting it lower tends to burn/brown the food too much (though I haven't tried that for a long while....). In addition, I always put the rack in the middle of the oven (unless the recipe says to do otherwise), then put the thermometer in the middle of the rack on which I'll put the pan, and wait until it registers at (or very close to) the temp I want. And, yes, the breast was cold when it went into the oven -- I made the herb paste in the morning, spread it on, covered with foil, and put it in the fridge. I wanted to go for a bike ride and didn't want to cut that short to come back and prepare the turkey; all I'd need to do is stick it in the oven. No doubt, letting it sit at room temp for about an hour would have made a difference in cooking time. I bought it fresh, not frozen, and kept it in the fridge until cooking time. (I removed the foil except for the last 30 minutes.) So, next time I'll let it sit for about an hour at room temp before cooking, then let it reach 165 degrees before removing it from the oven. This was Ina's recipe and tried and true so I'm going on the assumption I did something differently. It wasn't overly dry.... a little on the dry side. The flavor is great and I would definitely make it again, but not for company until I get this right! I also made the dill potatoes (posted here before), and brussel sprouts blanched then tossed w/ EVOO and drizzled with finely chopped walnuts then roasted in the oven. Hubby (who does most of the cooking since he's retired and I am still working) said "This is really good, Hon." .... then, after dinner, "Good job!" All's well that ends well! :-) Thank you all so much!! What a great forum....See More
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