Thanksgiving is a festival primarily observed in United States and Canada. It is
celebrated on the fourth Thursday in the month of November in United States,
whereas in Canada, it falls on the second Monday of October. Turkey dishes form
the main attraction in the Thanksgiving dinner. A well chosen and deliciously
prepared turkey sets up the right spirit of the festival. However, you need to
buy the turkey before the Thanksgiving Day and freeze it to keep it fresh for
the day. There are certain ways to defrost and roast turkey, so that it retains
its flavor and freshness. In this article, we bring you some helpful tips for
defrosting and roasting turkey.
Turkey Preparations
Defrosting
* Defrost the turkey three days before the feast. Move the turkey from the
freezer to the refrigerator three days prior to the festival, in order to allow
it to defrost properly.
* Do not defrost the turkey by leaving it outside the refrigerator for a whole
night, before Thanksgiving. If you leave the turkey in such a way, there can be
bacterial growth that can lead to food poisoning.
* If the turkey weighs more than 20 pounds, it may take 4 or 5 days to defrost
it properly. In such a case, you will have to move it to the refrigerator from
the freezer 4 or 5 days in advance.
* There is nothing much to do to defrost the turkey, except to remember to
remove it from the freezer and put it in the fridge at the proper time.
Roasting
* On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, preheat the oven to 325°F, while you
remove the turkey wrapper.
* Wash the turkey by scrubbing its body lightly with cold and wet paper towels,
in smooth and gliding motions.
* Use dry paper towels to dry the turkey and then pull out its neck from the
body cavity.
* Remove the giblets from the neck cavity and drain the juices. Again use paper
towels, to blot out the remaining juices from the cavities.
* Dip a clean brush in olive oil and rub it along the turkey's body and then rub
salt and pepper on the turkey. Now, the turkey is ready to be roasted. You can
just follow the roasting instructions on the package.
* Use a pan, which is about 2 inches deep, to roast the turkey. Put it,
breast-side up, on a flat rack, in an open roasting pan.
* For larger birds, cover the pan with aluminum foil, so that they cook properly
and do not get browned.
* Let the turkey roast for about 10 minutes to half an hour, depending on its
size, or just wait until the meat thermometer (in the turkey's thigh) reads 175
-180° F.
* Let the turkey cool down on a rack, for about 15 to 20 minutes, before you
start carving it up.
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