One of the hardest parts of Thanksgiving Day is preparing the feast in time, from cooking the turkey to baking apple pie. Fortunately for any home cooks feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand, Butterball LLC shares delicious recipes, turkey trends, runs a Butterball turkey talk-line for questioning turkey chefs, and has a number of helpful tips to make the process easier.
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They also have a wide variety of turkey-themed products to make Turkey Day go smoother, like gluten free whole turkeys, turkey breast tenderloins, and ground turkeys. The turkey bacon is ideal for Thanksgiving brunch, and the Butterball All Natural has no artificial ingredients in accordance with USDA agreements. Buy a fresh turkey or a frozen turkey to fit all your turkey cooking needs!
Butterball's Genius Turkey Tips
1. Thawing Your Turkey
Figuring out how to thaw your turkey is the first step in having a delectable Thanksgiving turkey. Butterball says that for a 20-pound turkey, you should spend around 5 days thawing it. If you haven't planned ahead and your turkey is frozen the day before Thanksgiving, you can use the cold water method. If you have more or less than 20 pounds of turkey, you can use Butterball's turkey-thawing calculator or call a Turkey Talk-Line expert for advice. Here are more turkey thawing tips.
2. Turkey Temperature Checking
Another essential part of cooking a turkey is getting it to the right temperature. Some turkeys come with a meat thermometer, but you can use any standard food-safe meat thermometer. No matter the cooking time, the breast should get up to 170 degrees F, and the thigh meat should get to 18- degrees F. Check your roasted turkey for doneness using your thermometer to make sure your turkey is safe to eat. Here are more tips for making a perfectly cooked turkey.
3. Use the Servings Calculator
Butterball knows how hard it can be to plan the meal. Too much food can make for way too many leftovers, and too little can be a Thanksgiving disaster. To help home cooks plan the holiday meal, Butterball has a number of calculators to figure out how much food to cook, along with helping to plan time for thawing and cooking. You'll even have a calculation for leftovers. For any questions that the calculator doesn't answer, ask a turkey expert using the hotline.
4. The Ultimate Stuffing
Butterball has a whole section on how to make the best stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. Some of their main advice is to use cooked ingredients in your stuffing, stuff the fully thawed turkey right before putting it in the oven, and stuff the neck and body cavities of a turkey. To see the rest of their tips to make the ultimate turkey stuffing, check out the Butterball website.
5. Roasting Hacks
You don't necessarily have to have a roasting rack to roast a tasty turkey. Instead, use aluminum foil crunched into a coil or use veggies like carrots to separate your turkey from the bottom of the pan. For a turkey with the ultimate juiciness without using a roasting rack, use these roasting hacks from Butterball.
6. No Need to Baste
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Basting is often seen as an important step in the turkey-making process, but there are better ways to go about making a juicy, yummy turkey. Rather than basting, use vegetable oil on your turkey. This will lead to a crispy, perfectly cooked turkey on the table.
7. Turkey Carving
To carve a turkey, first let your cooked turkey sit for around 20 minutes, cooling to room temperature. Then, start with a sharp straightedge knife and carving fork, carving straight down from halfway up the breast. The knife should reach the cut above the wing joint, and then the turkey slice will separate on its own. Check out these tips to see Butterball's other directions for a great carved turkey.
8. Make a Glittery Turkey!
Turkey can be covered in edible glitter for those looking to make a festive bird! Add the glitter at the end of the cooking process or right before you serve it for the best results. As long as the glitter you use is food safe, it can be used as decoration on your Thanksgiving centerpiece.
For more tips or to talk to Turkey Talk-line expert, text: "TURKEY" to 36888 or call: 1-800-BUTTERBALL
