Roast turkey safely for thanksgiving day

By David Liu

This article is about the safety.  If you need a turkey recipe, visit One Turkey Brine Recipe

Thanksgiving day means eating turkey. Without turkey, one can't imagine how he can have a thanksgiving dinner. So cooks or housewives better learn how to cook turkey safely.

First off all, you need to buy a turkey. Turkey can be fresh or frozen. But you need to treat them differently. If you decide to use fresh turkey, buy it one or two days before you plan to cook it. And if you don't cook it right away, place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. Make sure not to let any juices leak out of the package to the refrigerator.  So use a tray or a pan to catch any fluid out of the turkey. Make sure you don't buy fresh pre-stuff turkeys because if you handle it improperly, bacteria in the stuffing can grow rapidly.

Turkey can harbor potentially risky pathogenic bacteria which can cause food poisoning. The common pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses associated with turkey include Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli O157:H7(E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Shigella and Staphyloccocus aureus.

Now if you choose to buy frozen turkey, you need to thaw your turkey safely in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave oven. If you put your turkey in a refrigerator at 40 oF or below, allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. Keep the turkey in its original wrapper, but place it on a tray or in a pan to retain any fluid that may leak from the package.

A thawed turkey can be kept in the refrigerator in the original wrapper for 1 to 2 days. If the thawed turkey is not cooked, it can be put back in the freezer.

If you choose to buy frozen pre-stuffed turkeys, USDA recommends only buying frozen pre-stuffed turkey with the USDA or State mark of inspection on the package.

USDA recommends only buying frozen pre-stuffed turkeys that display the USDA or State mark of inspection on the packaging. These turkeys are safe because the processing condition is controlled.

Make sure to follow the cooking instruction on the package. Some products come with an image of seal of inspection for poultry DO NOT THAW before cooking. You should cook the turkey directly from the frozen state.

If you thaw the turkey in cold water, you need to allow about 30 minutes per pound of turkey. Wrap the turkey securely so there will be no water leaking through the wrapping. Place your wrapped turkey in cold tap water and change the water for every 30 minutes. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed. Do not freeze it again after it is thawed in cold water.

If you want to thaw your turkey in the microwave oven, follow your owner's manual for the size turkey and make sure not to use too much power for thawing. Before you place the turkey on a microwavable dish, remove all wrapping and cook your turkey immediately. Do not refreeze or refrigerate your turkey after it is thawed in a microwave oven. After thawing, remove the giblets and cook them separately.

Cooking a turkey

Oven temperature should be set at no lower than 325 oF and for maximal safety, cook your stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole. Make sure that the temperature inside the stuffing reaches a minimal temperature of 165 oF.

If you choose to stuff your turkey, mix the dry and wet ingredients just before you cook them. Fill the cavities loosely so that heat can penetrate into the stuffing. And cook the stuffed turkey immediately. Again, make sure the temperature inside of the turkey reaches at least 165 oF.

After you cook your turkey, let it stand for 20 minutes before you caving to allow juices to set so the turkey will carve more easily. Then remove all stuffing from the turkey cavities.

The time you need to roast your turkey depends on how much turkey you want to cook.

The USDA recommends the following timetables:

Un-stuffed

4 to 8 pounds (breast) 1½ to 3¼ hours
8 to 12 pounds 2¾ to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3¾ hours
14 to 18 pounds 3¾ to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 pounds 4¼ to 4½ hours
20 to 24 pounds 4½ to 5 hours

Stuffed

4 to 6 pounds (breast) Not usually applicable
6 to 8 pounds (breast) 2½ to 3½ hours
8 to 12 pounds 3 to 3½ hours
12 to 14 pounds 3½ to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 4 to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 pounds 4¼ to 4¾ hours
20 to 24 pounds 4¾ to 5¼ hours

You may cook frozen turkey directly. But it needs to double the cooking time that is needed for thawed turkey.

Add some favor to your turkey

When you roast turkey, it is possible that you will cook out quite some cancer-causing agents in, particularly on the turkey, particularly when you over-cook it.

One thing you can do is to marinate some spice/salt brian on the skin. Studies have shown that spice, like black pepper, can reduce the formation of carcinogens and you will also get additional flavor to your turkey.

Have a great thanksging day!

The article may contain some content from USDA.gov.  Opinions in the article are largely of this agency.