A-Guide-to-the-Perfect-Turkey
November 2, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Le Cordon Bleu
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A Guide to the Perfect Turkey
Thanksgiving is near and everyone’s thoughts are turning to turkey. It’s a bird so remarkable that Ben Franklin wanted to make it our national symbol instead of the bald eagle. Whether you are getting ready to prepare a Thanksgiving feast or just want to know more about adding this tasty fowl to non-holiday meals, we’ve prepared a simple guide to getting the most out of your turkeys. Learning how to properly cook a turkey is a must for your culinary education.
Fresh vs. Frozen
Maybe it’s a healthy lifestyle choice or maybe it’s because of more cooking school grads, but, either way, more and more people are choosing fresh turkeys over frozen. They tend to be more expensive and harder to find than a Honeysuckle or Butterball, but they are usually local and/or organic and always much more flavorful. The choice is yours, but we’ve got some advice if you choose frozen …
Thawing the Bird
If you are preparing a frozen bird, then you must account for the time it will take to defrost. Many Thanksgiving meals have been ruined because the cooks didn’t think about thawing. The simplest and safest way - food safety that is - is to thaw the bird in your refrigerator. This takes up a lot of space and a lot of time so be prepared. The best way is to make some space on the bottom shelf and leave it there. And since it shouldn’t take a cooking school student to tell you, do not just put the bird in the sink overnight to thaw. It is an open invitation to food borne illnesses.
Here are some approximate refrigerator thawing times for frozen turkeys:
- 6-8 lbs. – 30 to 40 hours
- 10-12 lbs. – 50 to 60 hours
- 14-18 lbs. – 70 to 80 hours
- 18+ lbs. – 90 hours and up
The center of your turkey may still be frozen after these times so give yourself some extra time.
Secret Ingredients
One of the great things about a culinary education are the secrets professionals use to add flavor to their dishes. One of the best ways to enhance the flavor of your turkey is by brining it. Since turkeys are low in fat, they are well suited for the extra flavor that brine will bring. Don’t worry. It’s easy. Brine is just a saltwater solution flavored with seasoning and herbs that you soak the bird in prior to cooking. You can find a wide variety of recipes when you Google “turkey brine”.
Note: The bird must be defrosted to brine so make sure your bird isn’t icy.
If you don’t want to brine your turkey, then think about a flavorful spice rub, especially if you are going to deep-fry it. Again, the Internet is your friend. Search on “turkey rub” and you’ll find all you need to know.
Cooking Tom
Traditionally, our Thanksgiving turkeys are oven-roasted, but a growing trend is to deep-fry them. Many people swear by it. If you do choose to deep-fry your turkey this year, then we recommend buying a complete kit that comes with everything you need to get started. They can be found at most discount department stores, hardware, and sporting good stores. Be sure to follow all safety guidelines as you will be using an open flame and boiling hot oil.
The question that everyone asks about cooking a turkey is “How long?” The answer is not how long, but how much – temperature that is. The key to a properly roasted turkey is its internal temperature as measured by a probe thermometer. You will find several varieties at your local cooking supply store. The best will have a long cord that separates the probe from the unit and an alarm to alert you when the bird has reached temperature. And that temperature is 165 degrees F.
Roast the turkey uncovered and unstuffed on your lowest oven rack at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and insert your probe thermometer. Set the alarm for 161 degrees F and walk away. When the alarm goes off, remove from the oven and cover with foil and let your bird rest for 15-20 minutes prior to carving. The temperature of the bird will continue to rise to 165 as it rests. Total cooking time for a medium-sized bird (about 15 lbs.) should be about 2 ½ to 3 hours.
There are a lot of things to consider when cooking a whole turkey, but we hope we’ve improved your culinary education and shown you how making a delicious turkey meal for Thanksgiving, or anytime, is easier than you think.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu. Le Cordon Bleu offers culinary, pâtisserie and baking, and hospitality and restaurant management training programs across the United States. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu for more information.
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