Thanksgiving Cooking Tips

Thanksgiving Cooking Tips

WHAT SIZE TURKEY SHOULD I BUY?

Plan on about 1 1/2-pounds turkey per person.  This should give you some for leftovers.

HOW TO THAW A FROZEN TURKEY
Store breast-side up in the refrigerator.  Allow at least one day of thawing for every 4 pounds of turkey – a 12 pound turkey takes 3 days.

In a hurry – thaw in cold water.
Thaw breast-side down in its unopened wrapper in cold water to cover.  Change the water every 30 minutes to keep surface cold.  Estimate minimum thawing time at 30 minutes per pound of whole turkey – a 12 pound turkey takes 6 hours.

GRAVY TIPS
Transfer the turkey to s platter and cover it loosely with foil. For each cup of medium-consistency sauce you will need 1 cup of broth and 1 to 2 tablespoons each of fat and flour. Pour all the fat from the roasting pan into a bowl. Measure the correct amount and put it back into the pan. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring frequently for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat your broth in a separate pan. Add the broth to the fat/flour mixture in a stream, whisking, and continue whisking until you see no more lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer.

LEFTOVER TIPS
Refrigerate all leftovers promptly. After a big meal, it can be tempting to leave leftovers out on the counter for hours. To prevent bacteria from getting a foothold, hot and cold foods should be packaged and stored in airtight plastic containers within two hours after cooking, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Divide and conquer. Divide all leftovers into several single-serving size plastic containers less than two inches deep to allow food to cool faster. Package and store turkey slices, stuffing and gravy separately in the refrigerator. The FDA recommends using turkey and stuffing within 3-4 days, gravy within 1-2 days.

Don’t overstuff (the refrigerator). Holiday meals often lead to cluttered, overfilled refrigerators. Cold air must be able to circulate to keep food cold and safely stored. Save shelf space by storing leftovers in compact, stackable plastic containers or sealable bags.

How to Make It Moist
If your roast turkey (or chicken) is very dry or to refresh leftovers, slice the meat and place it on a platter. Pour equal portions of melted butter and chicken broth, combined, over the meat and let it stand for 10 minutes in a 250ºF oven to soak up the juices.

PIE CRUST TIPS
Cold ingredients are important.  Fat used, ice water, rolling out dough. Handle dough as little as possible – light touch Don’t stretch dough when placing it in pie plate.  Dough should be big and happy in the plate Prevent soggy crust, make sure oven is at temperature, brush with egg white, sprinkle with cake or bread crumbs, savory pie paint with mustard

Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.
Source Southern Food
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
•    2 cups sugar
•    1 cup vegetable oil
•    4 large eggs
•    2 cups all-purpose flour
•    2 teaspoons baking soda
•    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•    1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
•    1 teaspoon baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    2 cups pumpkin puree or cooked mashed pumpkin
•    cream cheese frosting, below
•    1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preparation:
Directions for pumpkin cake
Combine sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl; stir into oil mixture, beating well. Stir in pumpkin puree.
Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round layer cake pans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. Turn out onto racks to cool. Frost pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting
•    1/4 cup butter
•    1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
•    1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
•    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat well until smooth. Makes enough for 2-layer pumpkin cake.