With turkey season officially in session and most households serving Thanksgiving turkey, here are a few tips and safety reminders to ensure maximum enjoyment.
Tip for Thawing: The secret to making a moist and juicy roast is using fresh turkey. However, if using a frozen one is unavoidable, these thawing tips from the CBC are invaluable for safety.
#1 Thawing in the refrigerator: Turkey may be thawed slowly and safely overnight in the refrigerator. Simply make sure that the turkey is wrapped properly to prevent any contamination of or by any other item in the refrigerator.
#2 Thawing with water: Turkey can be thawed with water, as long as the water is cold and covers the entire turkey. When using water to thaw, change the water every 20 to 30 minutes until the turkey is thoroughly thawed. Make sure to blot the turkey dry with paper to still allow the turkey to roast to good crispiness.
#3 Thawing with microwave: Pop the turkey in a big enough microwave and use the corresponding thaw setting.
Tips on Washing: Avoid rinsing turkey to prevent spreading any salmonella and avoid salmonella poisoning. Furthermore, rinsing the turkey may cause water to be retained in the turkey so that roasting to the desired crispiness would either be difficult or impossible.
Tips on Cleanliness: Make sure to wash the hands well before and after handling turkey, or any poultry for that matter, to prevent the spread of any bacterial contamination. For this same reason, wash all tools, utensils and surfaces that touch the turkey.
Tips on Cooking: Use meat thermometer to make sure that the turkey is cooking under proper heat, especially the thickest breast part, thigh and wing sections which should get to 165°.
Tips on Leftovers: Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking and should be stored in a temperature of 40° or lower.
