Common Mistakes People Make Cooking Thanksgiving Turkeys
Posted on November 9th, 2016 by Chips Restaurants
Deciding to host Thanksgiving at your home requires you to take on a lot of responsibilities, but one of the biggest by far is cooking the turkey – let’s face it, people are going to be hungry and they are going to be thinking about that turkey all day long!
If you’ve ever cooked a turkey and had it come out over or under-cooked, you know how disappointing it can be after putting in tons of hard work. But since we want your turkey to come out just right this year, today we’d like to share some common mistakes people make so that you can avoid them as you get to work in the kitchen – keep reading to find out what they are.
Not giving the turkey enough time to thaw. This one is huge – if you buy a frozen turkey, you MUST give it enough time to thaw before sticking it in the oven. A general rule of thumb is that 24 hours should be allotted for every 5 pounds, so it may take a few days to completely defrost in the refrigerator.
Only relying on a plastic popper. Sure, a plastic popper may indicate that your turkey is ready, but it’s not something you should solely rely on. Instead, your best bet is to utilize a thermometer that will give you a more accurate reading and idea of when your turkey is fully cooked. Remember, there are tons of factors that go into how long it takes, so it’s not enough to just eyeball it!
Forgetting to use a rack. It’s so important to use a rack when cooking the turkey, because these prevent the bottom of the turkey from steaming and also help keep it from sticking to the bottom of your pan. If you don’t have a rack currently, you have plenty of time to go out and get one, so make that one of your next purchases for the best results!
Carving the turkey too soon. We know – as soon as the turkey is done most people want to dig right in. However, by giving your turkey some time to rest, all of its juices will have the opportunity to redistribute themselves. When you don’t give your turkey enough time, it’s more likely that it will taste dry.
By doing your best to avoid the above mistakes, we’re confident that you’ll experience greater success with your turkey this year. And when you do, we want to know about it, so be sure to share how things come out with us on Facebook and Twitter!
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