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Tag: updated:2023-11-17

  • What to Do If Your Turkey Is Still Frozen on Thanksgiving Morning

    What to Do If Your Turkey Is Still Frozen on Thanksgiving Morning

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    Even the most well-seasoned cooks have experienced the dread of the turkey still being frozen or half frozen on Thanksgiving morning. Maybe you decided to host last minute, or your fridge was so packed with holiday meal prep, that big bird in your fridge just did not thaw.

    Don’t panic — whether you’re 24 hours out from roasting the turkey or your family is arrive later in the afternoon, you’ve got options. This handy guide will walk you through what to avoid, as well as how to thaw or roast your turkey depending on its near frozen state.

    Mistakes to Avoid When Quick-Thawing Your Turkey

    The risk of giving you and your guests food poisoning is just too great.

    So, why can’t you do any of these things? Besides looking silly with a hair dryer, if any part of the turkey is within the temperature “danger zone” of 40°F to 140°F for longer than two hours, the likelihood increases that it has developed unsafe levels of bacteria and related toxins. This means that even if the inside of your turkey is still frozen, once the outside thaws to above 40°F, it’s in the danger zone.

    Even cooking your turkey thoroughly in the oven doesn’t guarantee that the turkey is safe to eat — most bacteria will be destroyed, but the illness-causing toxins remain. There are times when you can bend the food safety rules and times when you shouldn’t. This is just one of those times when it’s not worth the risk.

    If You Have a Few Hours to Spare

    The best way to thaw a turkey is to leave it in the fridge for a few days, but if you’re reading this, then that option has probably passed you by. Not to worry — you can also thaw your turkey more quickly by submerging it in cold water.

    Thawed this way in cold water, estimate roughly 30 minutes for every pound of turkey (so, an 8-pound turkey will take 4 hours to thaw using this method). This can of course take a while for a large turkey, so be sure to plan the rest of your meal — and the dinner bell — accordingly. Personally, I like this method the best if my turkey has already done some thawing in the fridge but is still partially frozen. The cold water helps it finish thawing the rest of the way time for dinner.

    If There’s No Time to Thaw

    If you’re up against the clock and have no time left for even the “quick” cold-water thaw, then just cook the turkey frozen. It’s perfectly safe to cook a frozen or partially frozen turkey in the oven — you just need to allow some extra cooking time, according to the USDA.

    Estimate 50 percent longer cooking time for a completely frozen turkey and around 25 percent longer for a partially frozen turkey. (For example, a completely thawed unstuffed turkey that’s 18 pounds will take roughly 4 hours to cook, and a frozen turkey will take around 6 hours). In either case, check the temperature and cook the turkey until it registers 165°F in both the breast and the thigh.

    The advantage of cooking a frozen turkey is that you still get to sit down to dinner in a timely manner with none the wiser for your turkey snafu earlier in the day. The disadvantage is that you’re stuck with a fairly basic roast turkey — no brining, deep-frying, or any other fancy turkey techniques here. You can, however, brush the turkey with butter and rub it with salt, pepper, and spices partway through cooking to give it some color and flavor.

    But even when cooking a frozen turkey, you can still count on plenty of crispy skin and tender meat, and most importantly, Thanksgiving is saved.

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    Emma Christensen

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  • The Easiest Vegetable Stock You Can Make at Home

    The Easiest Vegetable Stock You Can Make at Home

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    All you need are some chopped up vegetables and fresh herbs.

    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    Every time we make vegetable stock, we wonder why we ever bother buying it in the store. It’s so easy! Chop up some vegetables, cover with water, and simmer. Done. You’ll have enough stock to make your soups, casseroles, and pilafs for weeks to come, and all in just a little over an hour.

    The Best Vegetables for Vegetable Stock

    When making a basic vegetable stock, you want vegetables with neutral, but savory flavors. Some recipes recommend adding garlic and other strong spices, but unless we know how we’re going to be using the broth, we prefer to add those kinds of seasonings when we’re actually making a dish. We also don’t add salt to the stock for the same reason. Onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms are the ideal starter vegetables for stock, but feel free to swap any of these for leeks, tomatoes or parsnips.

    Saving Vegetables for Broth

    We keep a big resealable bag in our freezer where we can throw vegetable odds and ends: vegetables that have wilted beyond saving, the green parts from leeks, trimmings from carrots, and so on. Once this bag gets full, we use the contents to make broth.

    Vegetables to Avoid When Making Vegetables Stock

    Seems contrary to the title but not every vegetables is destined for vegetable stock. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and turnips will make for a gummy, cloudy vegetable stock. Beets overpower their aromatic counterparts. Zucchini and greens beans become bitter when slowly simmered for as long it takes to make this stock.

    Simple Upgrades for Better Vegetable Stock

    While vegetable broth is a basic building block of the kitchen it doesn’t have to be boring. Consider adding leftover Parmesan rinds to your vegetable stock. Kombu is powerful addition, mostly for its thickening and umami abilities.

    Two ways to add more flavor to your broth are to roast the vegetables beforehand or to let them sweat (start to soften and release their liquids) for a few minutes over the heat before adding the water.

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    Emma Christensen

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