Let’s Talk Cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey Safely
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With Halloween over, our thoughts are moving to preparing for Thanksgiving. It will be here before we know it. Having a smooth tasty Thanksgiving can take some planning. So here are some tips for making sure the turkey is cooked safely and doesn’t hold up that wonderful Thanksgiving meal.
It all starts with making sure the turkey is thawed in time. A frozen turkey keeps its quality for about a year. It is still safe to cook and eat after a year but may start to have some texture and flavor changes. It is always best to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator whether you buy it frozen this year or are taking one out of the freezer from last year. Planning a head to make sure the turkey is thawed and ready to cook on Thanksgiving morning will help make preparing the meal run smoothly.
Thaw in the refrigerator and allow about 24 hours of thawing for each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can remain in the refrigerator once it’s been thawed for 1 to 2 days before cooking.
Use this Thawing Turkey Calculator to help you plan ahead. That page also has information on thawing if you still have a frozen or partially frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning.
Now that you have a plan for thawing your turkey lets decide how you want to cook it. USDA also has a Turkey Cooking Calculator if you want to roast your turkey. But this year you may want to try a new method. You can safely cook a turkey in many ways. You just want to make sure you follow safety recommendations and make sure that your turkey is the correct size for the method you choose.
Alternate Ways to Cook a Turkey – USDA has more detailed recommendations but this chart gives you an idea of what pounds can be safely cooked by different types of methods. You just want to make sure you cook your turkey to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
For more Thanksgiving Holiday meal tips check out this resource. Foodsafety.gov
You can always call our office if you have more food safety questions or email Cathy at cathy_hohenstein@ncsu.edu.