Talk Turkey!

[Admin]

Turkey Time is here again!

If you have questions or know the answers, if you have tips that you'd like to share, or treasured family recipes that deserve to be passed along for others to enjoy, we welcome your input!

Tell us about family traditions that center around the turkey table each year, not only during the Thanksgiving Holiday, but through Christmas as well.

Do you have a favortie dish which you prepare with your leftovers, a special stuffing recipe, or does your grandmother make the best pumpkin pie?

We'd love to share all these treasures and preserve them before they're lost forever.

Our Turkey days will be a bit brighter with a few new tips to make things easier, and new heirloom recipes to add to the repertoire of our own family traditions.

Let's pool our knowledge, new and old!

chef@cooks.com
The Cooks Staff

[cookher]

What is the correct temperature a Turkey
should be cooked?

[dinky]

well that all depends on how you cook it!!
if you fry it like we do in the south then the oil needs to be 350'f in the oven I like to cook it at about 375 covered and the last 30 min uncovered to get the golden brown color.

[Roly Poly]

If you are roasting it in the oven I have always heard you should never roast it above 325'f. I'm not sure why. You should look on the back of the pkging or wraping your turkey comes in. It usually has cook, defrosting and temp times on there, for stuffed and unstuffed.

[zach509]

How long is turkey ok to eat after it's been cooked? I have a lot left in my refrigerator and it is a week old today. Is it safe to make turkey salad?
Thanks,
Anita

[Rise22]

The turkey will be dry, but probably ok to eat....next time, cut all the turkey off the bone, place it in sealed bags - or vacuum seal it - and it will keep in the freezer for weeks. I just put enough for two in each bag and take it out when I need it.

[cheedo1@hotmail.com]

also when storing it in the fridge you may also put a damp tea towel over top of the meat and then plastic wrap. this will help to keep the turkey more fresher and not dry out as fast. careful not to over wet your teas towel. works everytime for me, ans this is aslo another way of cooking your turkey ahead of time,ie: the night before and using the towel method to keep the turkey fresh, just pop it into the stove the next day to warm or leave for a cold buffet. hope this helps
Ron

[cheedo1@hotmail.com]

when making your gravey use take the turkey out of the oven, remove meat and andd your stock and put back into the oven, whisk now and then, frees up your stove for other things, when ready to make your gravey add some of your vegetable water from each veg, you'll be amazed at how much more flavor you have in your taste of gravey,I aso simmer on the stove the gibblets and the neck with bay leaf and 1 unpeeled onion, then add the stock to the gravey as well.in a 4 cup measuring cup, i add 2 beef oxo cubes or packets and 1 chicken, strain broth into measure stir and add to gravey,the more flavvvvvvour the more better, hope this helps someone, i know i always get asked for my gravy recipe and yet so easy, with loads of flavour.
enjoy Ron