Whether you are hosting your first Thanksgiving or your thirty-first, these hints, tips, menus, recipes, and shortcuts will make hosting this traditional American dinner effortless. Well, almost! Let's face it, this is the big meal of the year for Americans. Your family expects the traditions to continue year after year. I hope these recipes, some traditional and some new, will help make your Thanksgiving dinner one to remember. The most important tip I can give you is to plan ahead. Don't wait until the last minute to get you shopping done and and your menu planned. Who knows, you could start a new tradition!
1. Buy a fresh turkey - They're not all that more expensive than frozen, and the flavor and texture are superior.
2. If you must defrost, do it right - Always thaw the turkey in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. Allow a full 24 hours for every five pounds of turkey (that means a 25-pounder will take about five days).
3. Buy enough turkey - To be sure you have plenty of turkey for leftovers and seconds, buy about one pound of turkey per person.
4. Use high-quality utensils - Avoid flimsy foil pans - invest in a high-quality roasting pan and roasting rack. A good carving set is a must too. Don't forget a meat thermometer (preferably instant-read) and a bulb baster. And use an oven thermometer - many a holiday roasting disaster could have been avoided if the cook knew that the oven was 50 degrees low.
5. Follow the stuffing rules - It's perfectly safe to stuff a bird as long as you follow three simple, common sense rules. First: Make the stuffing just before roasting the bird (to save time, chop the vegetables and cook any sausage the night before, but heat them up before tossing with the bread cubes). Second: Cook the turkey until the stuffing registers 165°F on a thermometer. If the bird is very big and the stuffing isn't cooking quickly enough, scoop it out into a casserole and bake it separately. Third: Remove the leftover stuffing from the turkey carcass and refrigerate it separately.
6. Basting is better - Basting gives your bird color, crisps the skin and helps hold in juices. Rub the bird with a few tablespoons of softened butter and pour 2 cups of turkey broth, chicken broth or water into your roasting pan. Baste every 30 minutes or so. Do it quickly, because the oven temperature will reduce every time you open the oven door.
7. Avoid dry turkey - The turkey white meat is lean, and is done when it reaches 170°F. Yet the dark meat isn't really cooked until it reaches 180 to 185°F. To protect the white meat, cover the breast area tightly with a large piece of aluminum foil, leaving the wings and the rest of the turkey exposed. Steam will collect under the foil and add moisture to the meat. When you baste, baste under the foil and replace it. During the last hour, remove the foil so the skin can brown.
8. Don't trust the pop-up thermometer - Those little gadgets sometimes get "glued" shut by the drippings. To check the temperature, insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh (not touching a bone). The desired temperature is 180 to 185°F. The temperature of the turkey will rise 5 to 10° as it stands before carving, so don't overcook it.
9. Use this carving secret - Let the turkey stand for 20 to 40 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to retract back into the meat, and you'll get a much juicier bird. The bird will not cool off during this standing period.
10. Be flexible with your roasting times - There are many variables to roasting a turkey, so roasting estimates are rarely right on the money. Err on the side of having the bird done early - it will take a long time to cool off completely.
Roast Turkey with Herbal Rub
1 13-Pound WHOLE TURKEY fresh or thawed 1 medium onion quartered 1 lemon quartered 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 1 tablespoon dried rosemary 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 325šF. Remove giblets and neck from turkey and reserve for broth. Rinse turkey with cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place onion and lemon quarters in neck and body cavities. In a small bowl, mix oil with herbs, salt and pepper. With your finger tips, gently loosen skin from the breast without pulling off the skin. Place 1 tablespoon of herb mixture under skin; replace skin. Rub cavities and outside of turkey with remaining herb mixture. Secure the neck skin to the back with skewers. Fold wings under back of turkey. Place legs in tucked position. May be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for several hours. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large shallow (no more than 2-1/2 inches) deep roasting pan. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful it does not touch the bone. Cover bird with a loose tent of foil. Roast turkey in a preheated 325 degree F. oven for about 2-1/2 hours. Remove foil and baste bird with pan juices. Continue to roast for about another hour until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees F in the thigh. Remove turkey from oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Transfer to a large platter and serve with gravy. Yields 18 servings at 6 ounces per portion.
Classic Bread Stuffing
1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups diced celery 1 stick butter or margarine 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1 teaspoon sage 1 teaspoon salt dash black pepper 1/2 cup chicken broth 8 cups dried bread cubes (take 11 pieces of bread out the night before and cut it into cubes)
Place butter onion and celery in skillet. Cook over medium heat until tender. Stir in seasonings. Place bread, broth, and onion mixture into a large mixing bowl. Toss until well mixed. Stuff into turkey.
Sweet Potato Casserole
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup margarine, melted 1 cup evaporated milk 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 cups miniature marshmallows 1 cup flaked coconut 1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal 1 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 400š F. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes. Mix together with sugar, eggs, 3/4 cup margarine, evaporated milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, marshmallows and coconut. Scoop the mixture into the baking dish. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until sweet potatoes are tender. In a small bowl, mix the crushed cornflakes, brown sugar, pecans and remaining 3/4 cup margarine. Spread the topping over the baked casserole. Return the casserole to the 400šF oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Easy Turkey Gravy
3 tablespoons of pan drippings or butter 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups of turkey or chicken broth Salt and pepper.
Place fat/butter and flour in microwave safe bowl. Gradually stir in broth. Cook on high for 6 to 9 minutes until boiling and thickened, stirring twice. Salt and pepper to taste.
Place sweet potato in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, mash, and set aside. Prepare dry corn bread mix according to package directions. Crumble, and set aside. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside. Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat, and stir in celery, green onions, onion, and parsley. Cook and stir until tender, about 10 minutes. Return cooked sausage to skillet, and mix in oysters and their reserved liquid. Allow oysters to cook about 5 minutes before stirring in crumbled cornbread and mashed sweet potato.
Turkey help is a call away
Associated Press Toll-free telephone services and Web sites offer a variety of specialist answers to cooking and food-safety questions during holiday preparation times. Here are some of them:
U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: 888-674-6854. Food safety specialists answer calls about meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions, year-round Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. MST, except Thanksgiving Day, when hours will be from 6 a.m. to noon MST. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day at the same number. Also available in Spanish.
On the Net: www.fsis.usda.gov Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 800-288-8372. Home economists and nutritionists answer holiday cooks' questions, in both English and Spanish, for callers in the United States and Canada. Callers can request free pamphlet with safety and cooking tips and recipes.
