Get ready: How to carve and serve a turkey
digg it!
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BY JEANNE AMBROSE/Better Homes and Gardens
Step-by-step instructions from the November 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine provide an easy way to prep, cook and present your holiday turkey.
PREP AND ROAST
Plan: Allow 1 to 1½ pounds of turkey per person. That amount will leave enough for leftovers, too. Be sure to allow plenty of time — and space — to thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator. See answers to dillemas (below) for tips.
Prep: Find the giblets — heart, liver, gizzard — tucked inside the neck or body cavity and remove. Discard, if you’re not using them, or cook and add to stuffing or gravy. If you are stuffing, plan about ¾ cup stuffing per pound of poultry. Do not stuff until just before roasting. Loosely spoon stuffing into the neck and body cavities allowing room for expansion. If stuffing is packed in it will not reach a safe eating temperature by time turkey is done. Pull neck skin over stuffing; use a long skewer to hold it in place. Tuck drumsticks under band of skin near tail, reset leg clamp, or tie legs together with kitchen string. Twist wing tips up and under the bird’s back. If not stuffing bird, bake stuffing in casserole.
Roast: Use the roasting chart (below) to determine cooking times. While oven is preheating to 325 degrees F, place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Pans with sides higher than 2 inches will act as a heat shield and prevent turkey thighs from cooking evenly. Brush bird with cooking oil. Cover loosely with foil and roast. After two-thirds of cooking time, cut string between drumsticks. Remove foil during the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking to create crisp, golden skin. According to the USDA, all turkey meat and stuffing is safe to eat when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. However, for best flavor and ease in carving, thigh meat should be cooked to 180 degrees F. For an accurate reading, be sure thermometer does not touch bone when inserted in meat.
Answers to common turkey dilemmas:
—Fresh or frozen?
It all comes down to personal preference. Some people like the flavor of fresh turkey. Others don’t notice a flavor difference. Fresh birds don’t need to be thawed, but may be pricier. Frozen birds can be purchased in advance, but need up to one week to thaw in the refrigerator.
—When should I start thawing the turkey?
Thawing the bird in the refrigerator is our favorite method. Allow 24 hours thawing time for every 4 pounds of bird. That means a 12-pound turkey takes 3 days to thaw, but we recommend allowing an extra day to make sure it thaws completely. It’s safe to keep a thawed bird in the fridge a day or two before roasting. If you find your turkey is still frozen Thanksgiving morning, place it in a clean sink filled with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Do not thaw the bird at room temperature or in warm water.
—Can I roast the turkey in advance?
Yes. Roast and carve per directions in this guide, then cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. For moist, make-ahead turkey, pour turkey or chicken broth over slices then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, reheat, covered, in the microwave.
—How long can I keep leftovers?
First step is to cover and refrigerate meat within 2 hours of cooking. Then eat it within 2 days. Otherwise freeze it for up to 6 months.
—What if I have more questions?
Fear not. Trusted resources are just a mouse click or phone call away. For specific instructions for roasting a whole bird, or just a turkey breast or drumsticks, visit the magazine’s Interactive Roasting Guide at BHG.com/roastingguide. Or visit eatturkey.com, the National Turkey Federation’s site, or butterball.com. Call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, (800) 288-8372, or the USDA Meat and Poultry Hot Line, (888) 674-6854.
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ROASTING CHART:
The following are roasting times at 325 degrees F at various ready-to-cook turkey weights, with times for stuffed and unstuffed birds:
8 to 12 pounds
Unstuffed: 2¾ to 3 hours
Stuffed: 3 to 3½ hours
12 to 14 pounds
Unstuffed: 3 to 3¾ hours
Stuffed: 3½ to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds
Unstuffed: 3¾ to 4¼ hours
Stuffed: 4 to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 pounds
Unstuffed: 4¼ to 4½ hours
Stuffed: 4¼ to 4¾ hours
20 to 24 pounds
Unstuffed: 4½ to 5 hours
Stuffed: 4¾ to 5¼ hours
Source: National Turkey Federation
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CARVE AND SERVE:
Start with a sharp knife and a cutting board with a groove to capture juices.
1. DRUMSTICK: Hold end of drumstick and cut through meat between thigh and body. Pull drumstick away from body, and remove by cutting through joint where thigh connects to body. Separate thigh from drumstick by cutting through joints that hold them together. (See photo.)
2. BREAST: Steady the bird with a carving fork and cut horizontally into the breast just above the wing. Remove the entire breast by cutting from the top of the bird down to the horizontal cut, using the breast bone as a guide for your knife.
3. FINISHING TOUCH: Put the breast on a cutting board and slice meat in even pieces. Carve the thigh and drumstick in slices, if desired. Arrange turkey slices on a serving platter.
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TIPS FOR BETTER CARVING:
—Give it a rest: When you take the turkey out of the oven, tent it with foil and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to be absorbed into the meat, making for juicier turkey.
—Stay safe: To keep your cutting board from slipping while carving, place a dampened paper towel or thin kitchen towel under the board. Use a cutting board with grooves to catch juices.
—Sharpen your knife: A sharp knife is a must. You can tell if your knife is sharp by using it to cut paper. It should slice, not tear the paper. If it’s not sharp, use a sharpener to produce an edge that’s better than the alternative.
—Saw, don’t rip: Carve with long, light strokes. Bearing down will shred meat rather than cutting it cleanly.
—Finally: Neat rows of sliced turkey, artfully arranged, sets up your bird as the luscious star of the table. Keep the platter decoration simple; perch a bowl of roasted fruit or herbs to one side and call it done.
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