Top 3 tips and tricks for cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey
Whether you choose to roast or fry that holiday fowl, Butterball Turkey Line director Nicole Johnson has some advice to offer by way of the three “Ts”.
The Three T's: Butterball's tips for cooking Thanksgiving turkey
Nicole Johnson, Director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, provides tips for cooking Thanksgiving turkey.
The star of Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. For many people, however, cooking the turkey can be the most perplexing part of the occasion.
But fear not, kitchen warriors. Whether you choose to roast or deep fry that holiday fowl, Butterball Turkey Line director Nicole Johnson has some advice to offer by way of the three "Ts":
Thawing
Frozen turkeys are displayed for sale inside a grocery store.
(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
Frozen turkeys can take days to thaw in the refrigerator. For cooks who’ve procrastinated or simply forgotten to set out their turkeys, Johnson suggests thawing the birds in a cold water bath.
Turkeys should be set to thaw in that bath for half an hour per pound. So, a 10-pound turkey would take about 5 hours to thaw in a cold water bath.
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Tenting
Tented turkey in oven.
(Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images)
Johnson prefers cooking the turkey in the oven, open pan and no lid, at 325 degrees from start to finish. During that time, however, different parts of the turkey cook at different rates.
A common sight in many kitchens is the breast area starting to brown faster than the rest of the bird. Johnson recommends tenting, or covering the breast area with a piece of foil.
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Thermometer
Cooked turkey in roasting pan with meat thermometer during the preparation for Thanksgiving.
(Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images)
The most accurate way to check for done-ness is by using a thermometer, according to Johnson. She noted that a cooked thigh should measure at 80 degrees and the breast should be 170 degrees.
"[The thermometer] is really your best friend on Thanksgiving Day," she said.
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Two-hour rule
A chef carves a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
(Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images)
A fourth "T," or turkey tip, pertains to food safety and leftovers. According to Johnson, turkey meat should be sliced off the bone and then placed in the refrigerator in two hours or less.
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