Comments on: How big is your turkey?

By: Jasi

Jasi — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:08:04 +0000

Heather (and Ivy-my buddy from Curbly), you’re fantastic! Thank you so much for writing to me and helping me figure out how to safely handle my turkey. It led me to contact the USDA food safety line (888-674-6854). They were informative and really nice. It turns out, despite being a total neat freak, I’ve been completely unaware of food storage safety. I have to buy a fresh turkey, but I’m so glad I’m not poisoning myself (again) or my family.

Thanks Heather for writing me and saving our Thanksgiving. My Hotmail won’t let me send back to you, (it sucks.) Keep posting fabulous things!

By: Jasi

Jasi — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:13:24 +0000

Eeep! I just bought a Fresh Turkey and it claims to be good until 11/27. Help!

By: moonablaze

moonablaze — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:15:35 +0000

also, flowing water will speed the process further. you can put the turkey in a bucket in the bathtub, fill it with cool water and leave it on just a trickle, the movement will speed the process along by moving warmer water to the bird and colder water away from it

By: Margolis

Margolis — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:57:03 +0000

oh Ivy! Why won’t your family let you learn from your mistakes and you can host again?? When you first quoted your mom as saying “if you can’t be the good example. . .” I read it to my husband and he roared. Now he goes around saying it whenever he thinks it applies (um, often to me).
Anyway, just have to put my vote in for brining: it makes chicken taste GREAT. I didn’t do a turkey, but my friend talked about brining in an ice chest.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:08:24 +0000

The salt in the brine keeps bacterial growth in check. I haven’t looked for the FDA’s official stance on the matter. I always err on the side of caution with what I recommend to others. I call it covering my butt.

By: saraclark

saraclark — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:04:27 +0000

I have brined our turkey for the last couple of years as a part of the defrosting process and it has worked quite well. I brine in a cooler with ice mixed in for safety and we are all still here to tell about it. I use Mr. ABs recipe and it hasn’t failed yet.

You will have to scrub and disinfect your cooler before and after the brining unless you get a throw-away.

By: Horrible Kitchen Tales = Dinner On Me!

Horrible Kitchen Tales = Dinner On Me! — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:34:45 +0000

[...] XHTML ← How big is your turkey? [...]

By: themomhalf

themomhalf — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:16:24 +0000

The chidlren have requested and we are having Cornish hens this year, last year the children requested goose (that was fun to cook), and the year before that they wanted duck (another fun bird to cook).

All of these birds have different requirements to cook properly, and I did my research ahead of time, and thank goodness I did, the goose needs to be boiled first and then let to dry for about 2 days to properly roast!