As diplomas go, this one probably won’t lead to a career in the high-tech industry, international banking or the top levels of government. Still, how many people out there have been designated a “Gobblin’ Guru,” with a certificate to prove it?
About 16 people, actually, all of them writers from across the country who gathered in March at the Butterball headquarters in Downers Grove to take part in the first-ever Turkey University for food journalists. The goal of the one-day seminar was to give writers and editors the same education that Butterball Talk-Line staffers get as they prepare to help a nation of confused cooks each Thanksgiving.
The Butterball people spend more time preparing, roasting, talking and thinking about turkey than is probably healthy for the average adult. So why not take a class in preparing the Thanksgiving centerpiece from such single-minded instructors?
They showed the food writers various methods of cooking–charcoal-grilled, roasted in open pans, roasted covered, roasted in cooking bags–to demonstrate the results of each. Cavities were stuffed, legs were trussed (the turkey’s) and thermometers jammed into dark meat until we got it right.
Sherleen Clausen, a home economist, was chief turkey tutor. Clausen joined the test kitchen staff in 1984 and doesn’t even want to hear about someone putting a hot railroad spike into the center of the turkey to make it cook faster. (Yes, that was an actual question for the Talk-Line.) Or whether a turkey can be cooked in the dishwasher if the oven is broken. Answer: Bad idea. (Note to caller: Duh!)
No, Clausen and the Butterball staff have specific, repeatedly tested techniques for getting that bird to the table in all its moist, perfectly cooked, crispy-skinned, safe-food-handling glory.
Now that class is over, here is the report, based on some of the top questions put to the Talk-Line in 1999. The answers should help cooks everywhere make it through this year’s holiday meal.
What’s the best way to thaw a turkey? (11,987 questions):
If you choose a frozen over a fresh turkey, planning is essential. Is there room for the turkey in your freezer and your refrigerator? Turkeys should never be defrosted at room temperature. They need to sit, in an unopened wrapper, in the refrigerator for at least one day for every 4 pounds of bird.
If time and refrigerator space is at a premium, it is possible to thaw by placing the wrapped (in plastic, not paper) turkey in a very large pot of very cold water. It can sit there-in the sink, on the floor, whatever–to defrost at about 30 minutes per pound of turkey. The water must be changed about every 30 minutes. Remember: Room temperature is bad! Germs! Germs! Germs!
How do you recommend safely handling a turkey? (10,490 questions):
Wrangling a large turkey can be one of the messiest cooking jobs you do all year. Keep it clean as you go. Put the turkey on a tray or roasting pan in the refrigerator; don’t let the juices drip everywhere. Pay attention to points of contact: Wash all the utensils, countertops and sink with hot, soapy water or bleach solution. Pat the bird dry with paper towels, not cloth ones. Wash your hands. When the meal is over, remove stuffing from the cooked turkey, carve leftovers into slices, wrap everything well and refrigerate within two hours after cooking.
What’s the best way to roast a turkey? (11,177 questions):
This is one area that brings out the quirks in a cook. Some people swear by a grilling method, others smoke their turkey or deep-fry it. All of these methods can produce wonderful results.
But for a traditional roast turkey, use the open-pan, dry heat method. That is, don’t cover it with a roasting pan lid, don’t place it in a cooking bag and don’t add liquid to the pan for steam. Dry heat will produce even cooking, good roasted flavor and crisp skin with a nice golden color.
It’s best to rub the skin with oil, butter or a combination for color; herbs, glazes and other seasonings will add flavor to the skin. But basting to moisten the turkey meat is considered a waste of time because the skin acts as a barrier to the liquid. You may tent the turkey with foil near the end of cooking to prevent the skin from burning or becoming too brown.
As for cooking times, there is not a minute-per-pound answer for all turkeys. Cooking times vary with the weight of the turkey and depend on whether the turkey is stuffed or not. Check the roasting chart on page 6 to see where your turkey fits.
What’s the proper way to stuff a turkey? (4,852 questions):
It’s tempting to think of stuffing the turkey ahead of time so it can just pop right into the oven. Problem is, the inside of the turkey is a microclimate all its own, and can breed bacteria like crazy. Therefore, it’s recommended that you assemble the stuffing ingredients and stuff the turkey all at once, right before the turkey gets roasted. That way, warm stuffing doesn’t sit around in a cold turkey for hours, getting humid and icky. Stuff loosely, about 3/4 cup per pound of turkey. Before you pull the turkey from the oven, test the center of the stuffing. The temperature should read 160 to 165 degrees.
How do you know when a turkey is done? (7,304 questions):
We hate this question. The official answer? Guidelines from the USDA, which insure maximum food safety, suggest that the center of the stuffing reach 165 degrees and the thighs, which take longer to cook, reach 180 degrees. These high temperatures will kill off any bacteria lurking inside the turkey.
If you follow that advice, though, the breast is likely to be dry as dust and the drumstick somewhat shriveled. Many food professionals find that the turkey cooked to USDA specifications is safe but inedible; or, “throat-catchingly dry,” the phrase used by “The Cook’s Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry.”
For example, “The Joy of Cooking” suggests thigh temperatures of 170 to 180 degrees; “Cook’s Illustrated” recommends a temperature of 160 to 165 degrees; and “How To Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman takes the middle ground at 165 to 170 degrees. Recently, in the Tribune test kitchen, we roasted a turkey to a thigh temperature of 165; it was cooked through and still moist. The decision is up to you.
If you decide to vary the cooking time from the government recommendations, make sure the juices in the breast and thigh run clear, not pink; the thigh bone wiggles easily; and the meat has reached a minimum temperature of 165 degrees (it will rise 5 to 10 degrees while sitting).
Where does the meat thermometer go? (8,151 questions):
Forget the pop-up tabs; they are unreliable. Use an oven-safe or instant-read thermometer to take the turkey’s temperature. (Caution: Instant-read thermometers are not oven-safe.) The thermometer needs to go into the thickest part of the thigh where it is nearest the body. Do not jam it in so far that it hits the bone, or you’ll get a false reading. If you have stuffed the bird, you’ll need to check that too: Poke an instant-read thermometer into the middle of the stuffing and make sure it reads 160 to 165 degrees.
Whew!
And people say brain surgery is complicated. In spite of what seems like a mountain of rules, it’s all going to go more smoothly than you think. Enjoy this holiday and we’ll talk again next year.
Talk of the town
When the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line made its debut in November, so many people–around 11,000–called that Ma Bell blew a fuse and hapless cooks were forced to temporarily wrestle with the turkey on their own.
Telephone technology has gotten more sophisticated since then, and a good thing too. The famous hot line now handles nearly 170,000 calls during the holidays, with a staff of home economists holding hands long-distance with consumers through every possible turkey disaster.
Such as: The turkey was too big for the oven, so we carved it up with a chainsaw, roasted it and now want to know the best way to reattach the parts so it looks pretty (Massachusetts).
Such as: I need to thaw 12 turkeys to cook for the men in the firehouse; can I put them into clean garbage cans and hose them down? (Texas).
And this one: I was draining the turkey juices in the bathroom and dropped the turkey into the toilet (No name, no city).
The Turkey Talk-Line has heard it all. Most of the calls are far simpler, dealing with roasting times and giblet bags and where to put the stuffing. Still, “It’s an incredible insight into human nature for us,” says Talk-Line Director Jean Schnelle. “Sometimes it seems we get into counseling; there are hurt feelings at home, fears of the mother-in-law, people afraid the family will learn they can’t cook.
“We do settle a lot of arguments. Maybe it’s a husband whispering on the phone to me because the two mothers-in-law are arguing in the kitchen and badgering his wife and he wants to be the peacemaker,” she says. “Sometimes you get a new American who really wants to have Thanksgiving but doesn’t know what cranberries are. Or it can be a very old man whose wife has died and his kids are coming over and he’s (making the turkey) for the first time.”
That first season, a staff of six, including Schnelle, squeezed tables into the Butterball test kitchen in Downers Grove and answered calls there, occasionally leaning back in their chairs to consult with one of the cooks working around them. Now 40 home economists handle the questions, which start when the line opens in November and last until just before Christmas (Dec. 22 this year).
“We know the weather all over the country on any given day,” says Schnelle. “There’s something about being in Chicago-everyone has lived here or been here and they always ask, ‘How’s the weather?’ Especially if they live in Florida; they say, ‘Oh, it’s in the 80s here.’ Boy, do they hate it when you say, ‘It’s beautiful here, too!’ “
On Thanksgiving Day, the lines open at 6 a.m. on the East Coast, and the staff can track the day’s progress across the country by listening to callers’ accents.
Schnelle well remembers the college student in Texas who called a few years back, asking questions about roasting pans, which she heard with difficulty because of a bad phone line connection and the noise in the Talk-Line office. It wasn’t until she asked for his name and address that Schnelle recognized the caller, who simultaneously exclaimed, “Mom!”
“I asked my son, ‘Why did you call here for advice?’ ” Schnelle says. “And he answered, ‘Well, I knew you wouldn’t be at home.’ “
Who are you going to call?
Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 800-323-4848.
Hours: This week-Sun., 8 a.m to 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. Mon.-Wed., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST.
Thanksgiving Day, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.
Nov. 24-Dec. 22, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays.
Recorded information available 24 hours.
E-mail available through the Web site at www.butterball.com.
Other phone numbers:
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline: 800-535-4555; speech and hearing-impaired, 800-256-7072.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays to talk with home economists, registered dietitians and food technologists.
Recorded information is available 24 hours.
Internet: www.foodsafety.gov.
Reynolds Turkey Tips Line: 800-745-4000.
Hours: Recorded advice available 24 hours.
Internet: www.reynoldskitchens.com.
THANKSGIVING TURKEY
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 4 1/2-5 hours
Resting time: 15 minutes
Yield: 18 servings
The following method is the one suggested by the people at Butterball. It works even if you have–perish the thought!–purchased another brand. We’ve added an easy herb coating for the skin.
1 18-20 pound turkey, giblets and neck removed
1 small bunch thyme sprigs
1 onion, quartered
1 each, cut in thirds: carrot, celery rib
1 lemon
3 tablespoons each: fresh chopped rosemary and thyme
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse turkey; pat dry with paper towels. (Raw turkey may be rinsed with cold water in sink, but sink and surrounding area should be thoroughly washed afterward with hot, soapy water or bleach solution to prevent contamination from raw turkey juices.)
2. Fill cavity with thyme sprigs, onion, carrot and celery. Cut lemon in half; squeeze juice into cavity. Place juiced lemon halves in cavity. Turn wing tips under; truss legs with butcher twine. Mix rosemary, thyme, pepper and salt in small bowl; set aside.
3. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan. Brush skin with butter. Rub herb mixture over turkey. If using oven-safe thermometer, insert deep in lower thigh, angled toward the body and not touching bone. Roast turkey, uncovered, 3 hours. Loosely cover breast and tops of drumsticks with foil. Roast turkey until oven-safe or instant-read thermometer inserted in lower thigh reads 180 degrees, 1 1/2-2 hours longer. Remove turkey from oven; let stand 15 minutes before carving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 395 Fat ………… 13 g Saturated fat .. 4.7 g
% calories from fat .. 30 Cholesterol .. 175 mg Sodium …….. 415 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 0.5 g Protein …….. 65 g Fiber ………… 0 g
CLASSIC TURKEY GRAVY
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 cups
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Neck, heart and gizzard from 1 turkey
3 cups water
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 each, chopped: carrot, celery
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
Pan juices from turkey, fat skimmed, 1/4 cup fat reserved
1/4 cup flour
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add neck, heart and gizzard; cook, turning once, until browned. Add water, thyme, broth, carrot, celery, onion and bay leaf. Simmer 45-50 minutes. Strain; discard vegetable and bay leaf.
2. Pour pan juices into large measuring cup. Add enough turkey stock to make 4 cups; set aside. Add fat to roasting pan over low heat. Sprinkle flour into pan. Whisk together to make roux, scraping up bits stuck to bottom of pan; cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in pan juice/stock mixture. Cook until mixture thickens, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition information per 2 tablespoons:
Calories …………. 35 Fat ……….. 2.5 g Saturated fat .. 0.7 g
% calories from fat .. 67 Cholesterol … 10 mg Sodium ……… 45 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 0.8 g Protein ……… 2 g Fiber ………… 0 g
