S.O.S. Turkey or Thanksgiving Tradition

Americans cook approximately 45 million turkeys at Thanksgiving in the USA. They cook a meal that they usually prepare once a year. Preparing turkey that is the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving table may present various problems and couse a lot of stress. That`s why the largest U.S. turkey processors, and even government agriculture departments, run holiday turkey toll-free help lones to answer all sorts of questions and technical problems on how to prepare a turkey.

My mother called me, coincidentally just the day before Thanksgiving, questioning me on how they cook turkey in the USA. It gave me the idea to put together the fololowing Turkey Survival Guide just in case someone else would have the same curiosity.

There are blackened turkeys, smoked turkeys and turkeys rubbed with herbs and spice, but the most traditional are old-fashioned roast turkeys served with mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. I will guide you through turkey preparation only. There are three important steps in turkey preparation: thawing, stuffing, and baking.

The best, although the slowest, way of thawing is the regrigerator method: Place the turkey on a tray in its original wrapping and place it in the regrigerator until thawed. When it`s partially thawed, remove the bag of giblets from the body cavity. Appoximate thawing time is 2 to 3 days for a 12-20 pound turkey. The quick-thaw method requires about 6-8 hours for thawing the turkey in its original wrap in a large kettle and cover with cold water. Change the water frequently to speed thawing.

To make basic bread stuffing, cut bread into cubes (about 12 cups) and bake in the oven for one hour at 80 degrees until dry, and set aside. Melt a cup of butter in large stock pot, add 1 large chopped onion, 1-2 cups diced celery leaves, and cook until the vegetables are tender but not brown. Add to the bread cubes in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, dried sage and 1 cup of turkey stock or water and blend well.

Just before baking, loosely pack the stuffing into body cavities of the turkey. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with melted butter. Roast uncovered at 160 degrees, 20-22 minutes per pound (if turkey weights more than 16 pounds, roast 18-20 minutes per pound), or until a thermometer reaches about 78 degrees in the thigh or about 76 degrees in the stuffing. If the bird is browning too fast, cover it loosely with a foil or cover the breast with a butter soaked cheesecloth. If you plan to eat at around 4 PM, begin roasting at 10AM. When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then carve and serve.

Of course, there is going to be a lot of leftovers. So plan for some turkey sandwiches for lunch in the next few days.