Cooking Hints and Tips   
    Poultry    



A bird will be easier to carve if it is taken out of the oven and allowed to rest - about 15 to 20 minutes for a turkey, less for smaller birds.

Choose poultry and game with pliable meat that is not dry-looking; the breast should be plump and lightly colored.

Uncooked chicken will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in its original packaging, depending on label date. To freeze, overwrap original packaging with more plastic wrap or aluminum foil for double protection. Use within 2 months to maintain best quality.

When breading chicken pieces before frying, take the time to refrigerate the coated chicken for at least 30 minutes. The chilling sets the crust and keeps it on the chicken.

Poultry absorbs very little fat from the skin, so you may cook with it on to retain its moistness and remove the skin after the meat is cooked.

Fresh poultry is perishable and should be cooked within two days.

For evenly browned fried chicken, pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels before coating or placing in the oil.

Rub outside of chicken with mayonnaise before roasting to make beautiful brown color.

Roast meat or poultry at 325F degrees or above. Lower temperatures used when cooking meats can encourage bacterial growth before cooking is complete.

Chicken Roasting Time-Table at 350°F
Parts     Approximate
Weight		     Final
Reading		     Cooking
Time
Whole
   Unstuffed
   Stuffed		      
3-1/2 lbs
3-1/2 lbs		      
185 to 190 °F
185 to 190 °F		      
75 min
100 min
Cut-up     3-1/2 lbs     180 °F     50 min
4 Thighs     4-1/2 to 6-1/2 oz. each     180 °F     45 to 50 min
4 Thighs (boneless)     3-1/2 to 5-1/2 oz. each     180 °F     30 to 35 min
4 Breast Halves     8 to 10 oz each     180 °F     50 to 55
4 Breast Halves (boneless)     5 to 7 oz each     160 °F     30 to 35
4 Drumsticks     3-1/2 to 5-1/2 oz. each     180 °F     45 to 50 min
4 Leg-Thigh combinations     8-1/2 to 10-1/2 oz each     185 to 190 °F     50 to 55 min
4 Quarters: 2 breasts, 2 leg-thighs     12 to 14 oz each     185 to 190 °F     60 to 65

Turkey Thawing Methods
Refrigerator
Method
Pounds Days
8 - 12 1 - 2
12 - 16 2 - 3
16 - 20 3 - 4
20 - 24 4 - 5
        Cold Water
Method
Pounds Hours
8 - 12 4 - 6
12 - 16 6 - 9
16 - 20 9 - 11
20 - 24 11 - 12


Steps to Roasting a Turkey:
  1. Thawing: (If turkey is not frozen, begin with step 2.) Do not thaw poultry at room temperature. Leave turkey in original packaging and use one of the following methods:
    • No hurry: Place wrapped turkey on tray in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days; allow 5 hours per pound of turkey to completely thaw.
    • Fastest: Place wrapped turkey in sink and cover with cold water. Allow about 1/2 hour per pound of turkey to completely thaw. Change water frequently.
    Refrigerate or cook turkey when it is thawed. Refreezing un-cooked turkey is not recommended. Commercially frozen stuffed turkeys should not be thawed before roasting.
  2. Preparation for roasting: All equipment and materials used for storage, preparation, and serving of poultry must be clean. Wash hands thoroughly with hot soapy water before and after handling raw poultry. Use hard plastic or acrylic cutting boards to prepare poultry.
    Remove plastic wrapping from thawed turkey. Remove giblets and neck from the body and neck cavities. To remove neck, it may be necessary to release legs from band of skin or wire hock lock. Rinse turkey inside and out with cool water, pat dry with a paper towel, and return legs to hock lock or band of skin; or tie together loosely. Tuck tips of wings under back of turkey. Neck skin should be skewered with a poultry pin or round toothpick to back of turkey to provide a nice appearance for serving at table. The turkey is now completely ready for roasting.
  3. Open pan roasting: Place turkey breast-side up on flat rack in shallow roasting pan, about 2 inches deep. Insert meat thermometer deep into thickest part of thigh next to body, not touching bone. Brush turkey skin with vegetable oil to prevent drying. Turkey is done when meat thermometer registers 180 to 185 degrees. and drumstick is soft and moves easily at joint.
    Once skin of turkey is golden brown, shield breast loosely with rectangular-shaped piece of lightweight foil to prevent over-browning.
Roasting Time for an unstuffed, chilled turkey at 325 degrees F.
6-8 pounds: 2 and 3/4 to 3 and 1/2 hours
8-12 pounds: 3 and 1/4 to 4 hours
12-16 pounds: 3 and 1/2 to 4 and 1/2 hours
16-20 pounds: 4 to 6 hours
20-26 pounds: 5 and 1/2 to 7 and 1/2 hours
Stuffing: Add 25 minutes cooking time for birds under 12lb.

The color of chicken skin does not indicate quality. Skin color ranges from yellow to white, depending on the breed of chicken and what it was fed.

Always roast poultry breast side down so the white meat will not dry out. Turn the bird for the last portion of cooking so it will brown well.

Unwaxed dental floss is good for trussing poultry because it will not burn in the oven.

Rubbing poultry with salt and lemon juice will lessen its unpleasant odor during cooking.

Cut 10 to 15 minutes of meal preparation by buying chicken breast halves that are already boned and skinned. For recipes that call for bite-size chicken pieces, save even more time by buying precut boneless, skinless chicken pieces.

Rub uncooked chicken with a clean, dry terry washcloth and the skin will pull right off.

Remove the stuffing from a turkey within 2 hours after roasting and promptly refrigerate or freeze the turkey and stuffing separately. Eat refrigerated cooked turkey and stuffing within 3 days; eat frozen cooked turkey and stuffing within 2 months.

ALWAYS Make at least double the stuffing you need for the turkey and cook the extra stuffing in a casserole dish. For an extra taste delight, sprinkle some of the turkey juice or canned broth over the stuffing.

If you brush your turkey with vegetable oil, such as corn or canola oil, before you put it in the oven, your turkey will develop a nice, shiny brown look.

A turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 180F degrees.

Make sure stuffing is fully cooked if roasted inside a turkey by using a meat thermometer. The temperature needs to read 160F degrees.

Cooked leftover turkey can be safely stored for three days in the refrigerator and two months in the freezer.

Never stuff a turkey ahead of time as bacterial growth can contaminate the stuffing. Stuff the bird just before roasting it.

When you stuff a turkey for dinner, allow 1/2 to 3/4 cup of stuffing per person.

To thaw a frozen turkey, leave it unopened in its wrapper on a shallow tray, breast up, in the refrigerator. Allow 2 days for a 12 pound turkey to 4 days for a 20 pound turkey for it to thaw.

Allow 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person when planning to roast a turkey for dinner.

To thaw a turkey, there are two methods. Refrigerator thawing is recommended, however if there is no time, submerge the turkey in cold water. Thawing the turkey at room temperature allows bacterial growth and is not recommended. To refrigerator thaw, place breast side up in its unopened wrapper on a tray in the refrigerator. Allow at least one day of thawing for every four pounds of turkey. To cold water thawing, cover the bird (breast down) in cold water in its unopened wrapper. Remember to change the water every 30 minutes to keep turkey surface cold. Estimate minimum thawing time to be 30 minutes per pound.

To stuff a turkey, remove the neck and giblets from inside and rinse it thoroughly inside and out. Prepare the stuffing just before time to put it into the bird. Stuff the bird loosely-about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. This will allow the interior of the stuffing to reach a safe 165°F temperature, measured with a meat thermometer. Also, the stuffing should be moist, rather than dry, since heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a wet environment. Pull the neck skin over the loosely stuffed breast area, fastening it with a short skewer underneath bird. Tie the legs and tail together with clean string (purchase in housewares sections of grocery stores). IMMEDIATELY place stuffed bird in a preheated oven set no lower than 325°F. Roast according to directions on turkey package.

To check doneness on a roast turkey, place a reliable meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh so the bulb does not touch bone to read 180°F. Juices should run clear. Also the center of the stuffing must reach 165°F to be safely done.

There is no need to baste a turkey. Studies show basting liquid poured over the surface of the turkey does not penetrate the skin. Most turkeys are pre-basted, with broth already deep inside the meat, making it more moist and tender. Also, repeatedly opening the oven door to baste the turkey only heats the kitchen and prolongs the cooking time.

To carve a turkey, place the cooked turkey on large plastic or wooden cutting board (a damp towel underneath helps secure the board to the counter or tabletop while cutting and also catches turkey juices that flow during carving). Start with a sharp knife. Cut off both legs and thighs first (a heavier knife works best for this job because you are cutting into bone). Sometimes twisting the thigh joint helps in removing it from the turkey. The dark meat can be cut from the bone or left as a whole drumstick. Make a straight downward or vertical cut along either side of the breast bone. Make a perpendicular cut across the breast above leg/thigh area to meet the vertical cut just made in the breast. Make vertical slices about 1/4-in. thick across the breast half parallel to the first cut. The carver's finished piece of culinary art...yet for another year of memories.

To carve a turkey:
Let it Sit
Once the bird is removed from the oven, it should stand for 20 to 35 minutes, depending on its size. This gives the juices a chance to soak into the flesh, allowing for succulent cuts of meat. Before you begin carving, have a warm serving platter ready and waiting for all the juicy white and dark meat you'll soon be slicing and digging into.
Remove the Legs
Arrange the turkey, breast side up, on a cutting board. Steady the turkey with a carving fork. Using a sharp knife, slice through the meat between the breast and the leg. Next, using a large knife as an aid, press the thigh outward to find the hip joint. Slice down through the joint and remove the leg. Cut between the thigh bone and drumstick bone to divide the leg into one thigh piece and one drumstick. To carve the drumstick, steady it with a carving fork and cut a thick slice of meat from one side, along the bone. Next, turn the drumstick over so that the cut side faces down. Cut off another thick slice of meat. Repeat, turning the drumstick onto a flat side and cutting off meat, carving a total of four thick slices. To slice the thigh, place it flat side down on a cutting board. Steady the thigh with a carving fork. With a knife, cut parallel to the bone and slice off the meat. Be sure to place all the cuts on the warmed serving platter as you work.
Remove the Wings
Before you carve the breast, the wings must be removed. Slice diagonally down through the edge of the breast toward the wing. Using a knife as an aid, press the wing out to find the shoulder joint; cut through the joint and remove the wing. Place the wing on the serving platter as is.
Carve the Breast
To carve the breast meat, hold the back of the carving fork against the breastbone. Starting parallel to the breastbone, slice diagonally through the meat. Lift off each slice, holding it between the knife and fork, and place on the warm serving platter. Continue until you have carved all the meat on one side of the breast. Repeat, carving the other side of breast.
Figure on 1.5 lbs of turkey, per guest to ensure that you'll have generous servings, with some leftover!

Ensure a moist and juicy turkey by placing a tray of water in the oven throughout the roasting process. Occasionally check and refill the tray.

Brush the outside of the bird with clarified butter to compensate for the lack of natural fat in turkeys.

Try basting the turkey with honey the last 10 to 15 minutes of the roast, Not only does this taste great and help to seal in the flavor, but it also adds a beautiful glaze to the bird.

After cooking the bird, remove it from the oven, cover it in tin foil and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before carving so that the bird can reabsorb the juices.

Avoid these turkey bloopers:
  1. Buying fresh turkeys too early. "If they buy fresh, they usually buy much too early - more than 2 days prior to Thanksgiving," says Berry. You can only keep a fresh turkey refrigerated 1 to 2 days before cooking. (However, a whole frozen turkey can be stored in your home freezer at 0 degrees for up to 1 year.)
  2. Cross contamination. "Don't put raw meat or poultry with raw vegetables," says Rosenblatt. Although you may not intentionally have these items in contact, if it happens, there is high risk of cross contamination, that can spell food poisoning. Make sure to wash your hands and the food preparation surface thoroughly in-between preparing the turkey and a salad, for example.
  3. Thawing a frozen bird at room temperature. This can lead to a potentially unsafe turkey. As the turkey starts to defrost, bacteria will grow on the surface, multiplying to high levels that may not be destroyed during cooking. There are three proper ways to thaw, according to Rosenblatt. One is in the refrigerator, allowing 1 day for every 5 pounds of turkey. An 8-pound bird would take 1 to 2 days to thaw. If you need a quicker way, use cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. The same 8-pound bird would take about 4 to 6 hours to defrost this way. The third method, Rosenblatt says, is to microwave the turkey "if you can get it in there." Follow the manufacturer's directions and roast immediately after thawing.
  4. Partial cooking or prestuffing the night before. Do not partially cook a turkey, because interrupted cooking may increase bacterial growth. Do not prestuff, either, because that can also create a hotbed for organisms to multiply. In addition, the cavity of the bird insulates the stuffing and may prevent it from heating to the proper temperature. If you want a jump on Thanksgiving dinner, Berry recommends premixing the dry and wet stuffing ingredients (to prevent cross contamination) and storing them in separate containers the night before.
  5. Overstuffing the turkey. You'll either wind up with undercooked stuffing or an overcooked bird because you'll have to cook beyond the cooking time for the stuffing to reach a safe temperature. The National Turkey Federation recommends cooking the stuffing separately from the turkey because improper handling and inadequate cooking of stuffed birds can increase the possibility of food poisoning.
  6. Cooking the turkey at low temperatures overnight. Cooking a turkey below an oven temperature of 325F is unsafe because temperatures lower than this may encourage bacteria to grow inside the turkey where temperatures could stay below the danger zone of 140F.
  7. Cooking the turkey ahead of time and letting it sit in the refrigerator. Cooking a turkey ahead of time is all right, but leaving it whole in the refrigerator is not recommended because a cooked bird is just too big to cool quickly enough in a home refrigerator. The solution is to remove the stuffing if the turkey is stuffed, and to carve the turkey and store the slices in covered shallow pans in the refrigerator. When reheating the slices, reheat to 165F.
  8. Forgetting the food thermometer. Both Berry and Rosenblatt say a food thermometer is a must. "Temperature is the true indicator that the turkey is done. Time is just a gauge," Rosenblatt says. "Everyone wants to make sure their turkey is moist and pretty. When it's done, it's done. The temperature is going to tell you it's ready."
    Here's a word of caution on relying on cookbooks. Rosenblatt says temperatures have changed for cooking turkeys. Turkeys today typically take a shorter time to cook. That's because they have more white meat and white meat cooks faster. "Throw away the cookbook and use the thermometer," she says.
    So what is the right temperature? The turkey should reach an internal temperature of at least 180F. The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the thigh between the leg and the breast. If cooking only the turkey breast, it should reach 170F in the thickest part of the breast, according to USDA guidelines.
  9. Predicting the exact time your turkey will be ready. "Get over the notion that you can predict when the bird is going to be ready," Berry says. If it is done too early, you can hold it in the oven at 140F or you may have to switch from having a hot turkey to a cold one.
  10. Leaving out the leftovers. "People tend to think that once they've cooked the turkey, they can leave it out forever, and they cannot," Berry says. Leftovers shouldn't be left on the table beyond 2 hours, she says. When you're done with your meal, take the turkey off the bone, divide into portions so that it will cool, and refrigerate. Turkey will keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Use stuffing and gravy within 1 to 2 days.


    11. And what happens if you forget to take the turkey out of the freezer on Thanksgiving Day? Berry says you may be surprised to hear that you can actually take the turkey out of its wrap and stick it straight in the oven as is, at a temperature no lower than 325F. Once it is thawed enough, you can remove the giblets and neck from the cavity and continue the cooking process.
    "It takes about 50% more time for it to cook, but it is certainly safe," Berry says.

    For more information on turkey tips, check out the National Turkey Federation's Web site, at (www.eatturkey.com). You can also call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555 from 8 am to 2 pm ET on Thanksgiving Day. The hotline is staffed by home economists, registered dietitians, and food technologists.

Question:
   I am cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving and have wondered why they don't cook evenly or in the time suggested on the charts. I usually stuff the turkey. Is this the reason for the uneven cooking, and is stuffing a turkey safe?

Answer:
   Many variables can affect the roasting time of the whole bird. And timing is NOT everything. A chart will estimate only when your turkey will be fully cooked. The only way to ensure that a sufficient internal temperature is reached to kill bacteria, as well as prevent overcooking, is to use a meat thermometer.

Some of the reasons your turkey may take a longer or shorter time to cook are:
Dark roasting pans cook faster than shiny ones.
Partially defrosted birds take longer to cook.
A deep pan might restrict heat circulation in the oven, resulting in uneven cooking.
The use of a foil tent during the entire cooking time can slow cooking.
A cooking bag quickens cooking time.
A stuffed bird takes longer to cook.
Your oven may be heating unevenly.
The rack position can affect heat circulation and therefore, cooking time.

   Some basic turkey cooking instructions include setting the oven temperature no lower than 325 degrees. Some folks actually place the turkey in the oven at about 200 degrees or less and cook it all night long. This is dangerous because the food is in the danger zone (40 to 140 degrees) for too long, which allows bacteria on and in the bird to rapidly grow.

   Another consideration is whether your turkey is fresh or frozen. Whichever you buy, make sure the bird is completely thawed, since the cooking time on charts is based on a fresh or totally thawed bird. The best way to thaw a turkey, or any meat for that matter, is to keep it in the refrigerator. Allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.

   Cooking a stuffed turkey can be somewhat riskier because the stuffing takes longer to reach a safe temperature as compared to the meat. Even if the turkey has reached its proper internal temperature of 180 degrees, the stuffing must be cooked to 165 degrees, which may cause the meat to become dry. Many people rely on the pop-up timers, but it's better to use a separate meat thermometer to be sure it is fully cooked.

   If you choose to stuff your turkey, make sure you follow a few safety steps. Mix the stuffing just before you put it in the turkey. You should never stuff the turkey the night before cooking. The turkey should be loosely stuffed, about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound. If you've made more stuffing than the cavity can accommodate, place the rest in a casserole dish. However, for optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook stuffing separately.

   Finally, after 20 minutes from the time the turkey is taken from the oven, remove the stuffing from its cavity and keep hot by covering with foil or a lid. The whole turkey should be carved or cut off the bones within two hours of cooking. Store leftover turkey and stuffing separately in shallow containers. Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for two to three days.



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