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Do’s and Don’ts of for your Thanksgiving Dinner feast

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Tips for making your holiday spread a success this year

www.smartconsumer.com For every kitchen pro who has made putting together the annual Thanksgiving meal routine, there are dozens of first-timers and cooking novices who don’t have it all figures out yet.

Here are some little nuggets of wisdom to help you navigate the perils of Thanksgiving dinner.

What size turkey to buy for Thanksgiving dinner

First things first: Buy about 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. (So if you’re feeding 6 people, buy at least a 10 lb. turkey). That way you’ll have leftovers.

How to thaw your turkey

Make sure and allow plenty of time for your turkey to thaw! A good rule of thumb is to allow one day in the fridge for every 5 pounds of turkey. I always give myself one extra day, just to be safe. Set the turkey on a cookie sheet or pan, to catch any liquid the turkey may drip as it defrosts in the fridge.

Don’t wash the turkey

If you wash your turkey in your sink you will just contaminate your sink.

Remove the turkey from it’s packaging, dry it off with some paper towels, and then prepare it for the oven. Any bacteria on the turkey will be killed in the hot oven while it bakes.

Don’t brine the turkey

If you buy a high-quality turkey from the store (like Butterball or Norbest), then brining the turkey is an unnecessary step. You can do it if you want, but you can still achieve a deliciously moist turkey without brining it. However, if the turkey is wild, you should brine it the night before to make sure it will be moist and flavorful.

Don’t baste the turkey

Basting is really unnecessary to produce a beautiful golden brown turkey. It also requires you to constantly open the oven, which causes the oven to lose heat and the turkey to take longer to cook – which could lead to a dry turkey. By smearing an herb butter mixture over the outer and inner skin of the turkey you will ensure the skin will brown beautifully, and taste amazing.

Don’t cook stuffing inside the turkey

If you try to put stuffing/dressing inside the cavity of the bird, the turkey will be overcooked by the time the stuffing reaches a temperature that’s safe to eat. Instead, cook your stuffing in a casserole dish. Then you can fill the cavity of the turkey with things that will give it flavor (and add flavor to the drippings/stock): salt and pepper and any mixture of onion, apple, carrots, celery, or citrus.

Do test the turkey with a thermometer

The only way to really tell if the turkey is cooked (165 degrees F), is by using a thermometer. Test the turkey right from the oven – if it reaches 160 degrees F, I take it out and tent it with foil. It will continue to cook inside the foil tent to make up that extra 5 degrees.

Do let the turkey rest

After removing the turkey from the oven, let it rest for at least 15 minutes, or up to 40 minutes (that gives you some extra time if you need to bake or warm anything else in the oven). If you’re using the drippings for gravy, remove the turkey from its pan, to a cutting board and tent it with foil while it rests there. If you’re not using the drippings, then just leave the turkey in the pan and tent with foil.

You don’t need an expensive roasting pan

If you have a big metal roasting pan, great! If you don’t, no worries. Just use a casserole dish big enough to fit the bird, or buy a $1 disposable foil roasting pan from Walmart (then you can throw it away after).

Place a bunch of chopped veggies on the bottom of your pan. The veggies will act like the wire rack in a regular roasting pan by elevating the turkey slightly.

Place the turkey right on top of the chopped veggies.

Do save the turkey drippings

After the turkey is finished cooking there will be juice and browned cooked bits at the bottom of your roasting pan. You can reserve all of it for making turkey gravy.

You can also use the leftover neck and giblets you pull from the turkey when you remove it from the packaging, to make giblet gravy. The most flavorful gravy! Your grandma would be proud.

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