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BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table

Stilly River Sage 13 Dec 17 - 08:47 AM
Mrrzy 13 Dec 17 - 08:22 AM
Mrrzy 13 Dec 17 - 08:21 AM
Steve Shaw 13 Dec 17 - 08:08 AM
Raggytash 13 Dec 17 - 07:52 AM
Steve Shaw 13 Dec 17 - 07:43 AM
Doug Chadwick 13 Dec 17 - 07:27 AM
Doug Chadwick 13 Dec 17 - 07:25 AM
Steve Shaw 13 Dec 17 - 07:04 AM
Raggytash 13 Dec 17 - 06:28 AM
Steve Shaw 13 Dec 17 - 06:22 AM
Thompson 13 Dec 17 - 04:56 AM
Dave the Gnome 13 Dec 17 - 04:46 AM
Steve Shaw 13 Dec 17 - 04:31 AM
Jim Carroll 13 Dec 17 - 04:21 AM
Doug Chadwick 13 Dec 17 - 04:20 AM
Doug Chadwick 13 Dec 17 - 03:47 AM
Bee-dubya-ell 13 Dec 17 - 01:50 AM
robomatic 13 Dec 17 - 01:22 AM
Sandra in Sydney 13 Dec 17 - 12:35 AM
robomatic 12 Dec 17 - 11:48 PM
Steve Shaw 12 Dec 17 - 08:26 PM
lefthanded guitar 12 Dec 17 - 07:33 PM

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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 08:47 AM

This recipe is perfect (I don't fool with stuffing, I use the part about brining and the baking instructions.)

NEVER just leave a bird out to thaw. Take the time to defrost it for several days in the fridge, or put it covered in a sink full of cold water for a day, then finish thawing in the fridge.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Mrrzy
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 08:22 AM

Que voici! Blicky to washpo story.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Mrrzy
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 08:21 AM

The Post food section had something on frozen turkey straight into the oven - bake for less than twice the usual time. I will see if I can find it.
Picking all the crispy skin off yourself while the bird is "resting" is my solution to not covering it.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 08:08 AM

An hour's even better I reckon. Keep it warmish. Might be best to cover the breast during resting even though it will resoggify the skin somewhat.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Raggytash
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 07:52 AM

The turkey should be out of the main oven and resting for at least 30 minutes before your slice it Doug. Plenty of time to scoff the Smoked Salmon and Prawn starter.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 07:43 AM

That's not a problem, Doug. By the time you've planned to have it ready, no-one has any appetite left anyway, what with filling up with the crispy bacon, a quarter of sugared almonds and those nice long chewy ones out of the Quality Street tin. Besides, the house will be hot and clammy with steam and cooking smells and you won't be able to sit where you always sit, none of it conducive to wanting a plateful of food which includes overcooked sprouts, bread sauce that would be better referred to as wallpaper paste and that nasty sweet-sour red stuff that ruins the taste of everything else on the plate. Just give everybody a few more slugs of Prosecco and a couple more hours...


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 07:27 AM

I think there must be an echo in here!


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 07:25 AM

I never time hunks of meat accurately "minutes to the pound then some over" style.I never time hunks of meat accurately "minutes to the pound then some over" style.

It is only a guide but it does help to avoid that awkward gap between the first and second course where your guests twiddle their thumbs waiting for the 9kg bird to cook when you only allowed time for a 5kg one.

DC


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 07:04 AM

Good one, Raggytash. I forgot to mention that I always do that. Go easy : don't want to tear the skin.

I never bother turning the turkey over as is often recommended. It makes the breast go soggy. Nothing worse than saggy breasts...


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Raggytash
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 06:28 AM

Put the butter to baste the bird UNDER the skin, fatty bacon over the TOP of the skin.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 06:22 AM

I never time hunks of meat accurately "minutes to the pound then some over" style. The scientist in me regards that approach as nonsensical, at least for larger lumps like big turkeys. I have never used a meat thermometer and wouldn't have a use for one. If the turkey's properly done it'll have a firm but yielding texture, look great and there'll be no pink liquid coming out if you stick the point of a knife into the thick bit of the thigh where it joins the body. Fear of salmonella, etc., will have you overcooking it. The best way to avoid getting germs everywhere is to never wash or soak your raw turkey in any liquid. You're just asking for trouble. We stopped having unevenly-cooked turkeys when we stopped putting stuffing into them. You'll get second-rate stuffing and at least some meat at the neck end that even the cat wouldn't eat.

I have two turkeys ordered, Morrison's finest free-range bronze, that should weigh in at 12 or 13 pounds each. The second one gets cooked on the 27th when we have a second influx of rellies. Any bigger than that and your oven may not cope very well. Just putting a monster into the oven cools the oven down and the fan can't circulate air the way it's supposed to. Then later on you're trying to cram in the spuds, stuffing, chipolatas, etc. Nightmare! My turkeys will each have half a pound of streaky on top which we remove and devour with the Prosecco after two hours, and a lemon, knob of butter and an onion in the cavity. Total cooking time will be three hours at 160C. Never fails!

Eating meat is supposed to be a pleasure. The key is to cook it right, not make killing off salmonella your top priority, unless you've run out of leather for your soles.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Thompson
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:56 AM

Definitely defrost it - in a cool room, not in the fridge and certainly not humming in central heating.

You might try brining it - boil up a load of water with lots of herbs and things like mushed-up juniper berries and peppercorns, plus some salt (kosher salt is best), then let the mixture cool and plonk the defrosted turkey in for five or six hours, then take it out, feck out the water, pat the bird dry and air-dry it in a fridge for another hour or so. Then cook it as normal. Makes it taste much tastier and moister.

+1 for using a meat thermometer - you can get accurate ones that sit in the bird in the oven and trail their cord outside to the end that reads the temperature.

If you want nice recipes for this, search the BBC.co.uk website.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:46 AM

In a wheelbarrow?

DtG

(Who is having a turkey crown on the big day)


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:31 AM

You want the bird at room temperature before it goes in the oven. Think about it. At the start of cooking the deepest part of it will be around 15 degrees. If it's out of the fridge it'll be ten degrees colder. That means you'll have to cook it for much longer. The biggest hazard is the breast drying out and going tough. Three hours at 160 degrees is spot on for a 5 kilo bird. You will need at least half an hour, if not an hour more, for your monster. Another salient point when it comes to baking cakes and roasting meat is to know how accurate your oven is. Get an oven thermometer and check it. Next year, buy two smaller birds instead of a monster. Cooking times are much easier to nail and your oven handles things better.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:21 AM

"How to get a frozen turkey to the table"
Offer it a glass of mulled wine and an armchair by the fire
Jim Carroll


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:20 AM

I agree with robomatic that three and a half hours is not enough for that size of bird. A 20lb turkey would need a minimum of 5 hours at 160 deg C (fan assisted) or 180 deg C (conventional). The rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound and 15 minutes over.

DC


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 03:47 AM

.....how Christmas goose compares to turkey ....

We bought a goose instead of turkey a few years back. It cost twice as much and only gave half as much meat - an expensive Christmas dinner. It was nice as an alternative, but no better or worse. Anyway, my wife likes turkey so that is what we have.

DC


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 01:50 AM

The experts say to thaw it in the refrigerator. They've obviously never seen my refrigerator. It's crowded in normal times, more so around holidays. So, I just toss the turkey in a picnic cooler. Three days in a cooler with no ice, and a ten pounder's completely thawed, but still cool. If it's thawed before you're ready to cook, just toss a bag of ice on it.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: robomatic
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 01:22 AM

Kind of off-topic, but ever since reading Dickens, I've wondered how Christmas Goose compares to Turkey, as a dish, that is.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 13 Dec 17 - 12:35 AM

I'm not a cook so can't give personal experience on cooking poultry, but here in Australia we're told never to defrost poultry on the bench due to the risk of salmonella.

So I went looking for US recommendations - How to Safely Thaw a Turkey & UK regulations - Let's Talk Turkey: your guide to Christmas food safety

My usual evening meal is soupy-stew - throw lotsa vegs in a saucepan, boil & add seasonings/flavourings, add something proteiny, pour into a bowl & eat with a spoon. I gave up using my oven decades ago cos it is too hard to kneel down & to clean it, so bought an electric frypan & used that until a few years ago when I invented soupy-stew.

The friend I'm spending Christmas with is planning to roast a couple of turkey pieces, I hope the day won't be too hot for roasting.

sandra


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: robomatic
Date: 12 Dec 17 - 11:48 PM

I recommend going to a cookery site and looking it up. The above instructions do not sound like enough cooking at a high enough temp for such a large turkey.

My method was to stuff the turkey front and back, truss it up and put it in a bag. In the old days the 'bag' was by making parchment paper out of supermarket brown bags, but now that brown bags are hard to find and the making of parchment paper takes time and lots of butter, I would go to the roasting bags you can buy in the supermarket. They are made out of some magic hi-temp plastic. I've used 'em with no problem.

It is simple, results in a self-browning thoroughly cooked and juicy stuffed turkey, but it does not in my experience result in much spare fluid for lots of gravy. What I did was to chop up and boil the giblets with veggies such as celery and onions, strain 'em and make gravy from the stock. You then season to taste and thicken with either flour or cornstarch.

Again, you should look it up, but my memory calls for an oven temperature of 350 deg F and a cooking time of 15 minutes to the pound for a turkey in the 20 lb size.

These days the television cooks have a separate meat thermometer and they test the bird for doneness according to its internal temperature. Again, look it up.


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Subject: RE: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Dec 17 - 08:26 PM

That's a very big bird for a typical domestic oven!

The first thing is to get it thawed and up to room temp. That will take 24 or 36 hours out of your freezer. Don't keep it refrigerated whilst thawing, or your cooking time will be all screwed up.

The second thing is to not stuff it. Make your stuffing in separate loaf tins or something. If you stuff the cavity, the stuffing won't cook properly. If you stuff the neck end, about two or three pounds of the meat at that end won't cook properly and will be as tough as old boots.

Smother the breast with streaky bacon (or slather the breast with melted butter and seasoning) and put a big knob of butter and a lemon cut in half in the cavity. Season. If you don't use bacon, cover the breast with foil.

I reckon your bird will need about three and a half hours at 160 degrees, aybe half an hour longer. Whack it in the oven and just leave it. If a lot of watery liquid comes out, scoop most of it out every now and then.

If you've put foil on top, take it off for the last half hour or so. If it's looking pale, whack the heat up to 200.

Right at the end, take the turkey out and rest it for not less than half an hour. You could be getting on with your roast spuds and sprouts.


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Subject: BS: How to get a frozen turkey to the table
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 12 Dec 17 - 07:33 PM

I recently, through very little effort or ambition on my own part, came into the possession
of a frozen turkey.( Must be at least 20 lbs as I almost threw my back out getting it from car to kitchen. ) So here I am with my frozen turkey. Just in time for the holidays. Which made me realize how very fortunate I 've been for many years; having been invited as a guest on the holidays for so long, I ve forgotten how to cook one. That is, I m not sure how to make the transition from frozen mass of meat in the freezer to getting it properly and safely into a hot oven.
Cooking, as I remember , was not the really tough part of the job;
- just throw it in the pan with some onions and maybe some garlic and
let it go for about four hours. It s that tricky dance from miniature iceberg to heated succulent dinner that I m not sure of. Cook on a low light ? Defrost in fridge? In the sink? And stuffing??In the bird?? Around the bird??? Tho truth be told, a packaged mix
by Stovetop is beginning to seem quite appealing.

Well I could take the easy way out and trust the 3 or 4 thousand cooking sites
that come up in Google- but I ve had so much good luck on mudcat with
my previous culinary themed questions - I thought I d throw it out to you
folks again, and see what you all say. Advice, recommendations, and turkey themed
folklore are all welcome!


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