Turkey tips from thawing to roasting

With the holidays just around the corner, many families will be sitting down to a feast of turkey with all the fixings.

When it comes to cooking turkey, many questions can arise. To help make the meal a success, University of Wisconsin-Extension food scientist Barbara Ingham offers some helpful hints.

"Whether you choose a fresh or frozen turkey is up to you," Ingham said. "But for both fresh and frozen, allow one pound of turkey per person."

If the turkey is fresh, people are advised to purchase it one to two days before cooking it, and store it in a refrigerator until it is ready to be placed in the oven.

Because fresh turkeys may leak juices, people can place it in pans to avoid leaks. Ingham also advised against buying fresh, pre-stuffed turkeys.

If a turkey is frozen, keep it frozen until ready to be thawed.

"There are three ways to safely thaw your turkey - in the refrigerator, in cold water or in a microwave oven," Ingham said.

Thawing the turkey

If people thaw the turkey in a refrigerator, at 40 degrees or below, keep the turkey in its original wrapper. The turkey should thaw in a pan or tray to catch juices.

Once completely thawed, the turkey may be stored in the refrigerator an additional one to two days before cooking. Allow four to five days to thaw an average 20-pound turkey in the refrigerator.

If thawing the turkey in cold water, make sure the turkey is securely wrapped so water cannot leak into the package. It's usually best to keep the turkey wrapped in the original package, according to Ingham.

When thawing, completely submerge the turkey in cold water, and change the water every 30 minutes as the water starts to warm.

Turkeys thawed in this way should be cooked immediately after thawing. Do not refrigerate or refreeze.

Some other thawing guidelines for the refrigerator or cold water include:

-4 to 12 pounds, thaw one to three days in the refrigerator or two to six hours in cold water;

-12 to 16 pounds, three to four days in the refrigerator or six to eight hours in cold water;

-16 to 20 pounds, four to five days in the refrigerator or eight to 10 hours in cold water;

-20 to 24 pounds, five to six days in the refrigerator or 10 to 12 hours in cold water.

If thawing a turkey in the microwave, check the owner's manual for the size of turkey that will fit in the microwave, the minutes per pound and the power level to use for thawing.

Remove all the outside wrapping and place on a microwave-safe dish to catch any juices that may leak. Cook the turkey immediately after thawing. Do not refreeze or refrigerate a turkey after microwave thawing.

Roasting the turkey

Here are some tips for roasting a turkey:

-Set the oven temperature no lower than 325 degrees.

-Place the turkey or turkey breast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.

-For optimum safety, stuffing a turkey is not recommended. For more cooking, it is recommended to cook the stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole dish. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the stuffing, and the stuffing must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees.

-If the turkey is stuffed, the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time. However, keep wet and dry ingredients separate. Chill all the wet ingredients, including broth, butter/margarine and cooked celery and onions. Mix the wet and dry ingredients just before loosely filling the turkey cavity, and cook the turkey immediately. Use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees.

-A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees, as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh, wing and thickest part of the breast.

-For safety, don't rely solely on the turkey's pop-up doneness indicator. Use a thermometer to double-check that the temperature of the turkey is 165 degrees.

-For quality, let the turkey stand 20 minutes before carving to allow juices to set. The turkey will carve more easily.

-Remove all stuffing from turkey cavities.

Timetables for roasting

Listed are approximate timetables to determine how long to cook a turkey.

Timetables for thawed. unstuffed turkeys are 1.5 to 3.25 hours for a 4 to 8 pound turkey (breast), 2.75 to three hours for 8 to 12 pounds, three to 3.75 hours for 12 to 14 pounds, 3.75 to 4.25 hours for 14 to 18 pounds, 4.25 to 4.5 hours for 18 to 20 pounds and 4.5 to five hours for 20 to 24 pounds.

For thawed, stuffed turkeys, cook a 6 to 8 pound turkey (breast) for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, 8 to 12 pounds for three to 3.5 hours, 12 to 14 pounds for 3.5 to four hours, 14 to 18 pounds for four to 4.25 hours, 18 to 20 pounds for 4.25 to 4.75 hours and 20 to 24 pounds for 4.75 to 5.25 hours.

It is safe to cook a turkey from the frozen state, but the cooking time will take at least 50 percent longer than recommended for a fully thawed turkey.

To cook a frozen turkey, remove the bird's wrapping and any gravy packet, if present. Place the turkey on a rack in a pre-heated oven of at least 325 degrees.

The time required for cooking will depend on the size of the bird. After the turkey has thawed sufficiently in the oven, around two to three hours of cooking, take the turkey out of the oven and remove the giblets and neck.

It will take four and a half to five hours to cook a 12 to 13 pound turkey from the frozen state.

Other tips

"Always wash your hands, utensils, the sink and anything else that comes in contact with raw turkey and its juices with soap and water," Ingham said.

Some other tips include:

-Do no rinse turkey, or other meat, before cooking; this only spreads germs. Use paper towel to gently remove pin feathers or blood.

-If the roasting pan doesn't have a lid, place the turkey in a tent of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the turkey for the first one to one and a half hours.

This allows for maximum heat circulation, keeps the turkey moist and reduces over splatter. To prevent over-browning, foil may also be placed over the turkey after it reaches the desired color.

For more information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at 888-674-6854, or visit foodsafety.gov/blog

/thanksgiving_plan.html.