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This article was submitted by Alice Henneman, MS, RD, Extension
Educator and appears in the November 2001 NEBLINE NEWSLETTER--A
monthly publication of University of Nebraska Cooperative
Extension in Lancaster County.
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ake
out the neck and giblets from the neck and body cavities. |
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se
an oven temperature of 325 degrees F. If you use a lower
temperature than this, your turkey may not cook fast enough
to be safe. A 12-pound unstuffed turkey will take about
three hours to roast while a 24-pound unstuffed turkey
may take up to five hours. Most turkey packages will give
guidelines for approximately how long to cook your turkey.
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oast
your turkey until the pop-up timer in the breast has popped
up. Or, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Insert the thermometer in the inner thigh area near the
breast of the bird, but not touching bone. (Even if your
turkey has a pop-up timer, it's always a good idea to
use a meat thermometer to double-check the temperatures.)
A turkey is done when the thigh temperature reaches 180
degrees F. When you poke into a cooked turkey with a fork,
the juices should be clear. For greatest safety, it is
recommended to cook stuffing outside the bird, in a casserole
dish, or on the stove top until the center of the stuffing
reaches 165 degrees F. |
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eep
cooked turkey at room temperature no longer than two hours.
Debone turkey and refrigerate all leftover turkey, stuffing
and gravy in shallow pans within two hours of cooking
or freeze these foods. |
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njoy
leftover turkey. Use leftover refrigerated turkey within
three to four days, stuffing and gravy within one to two
days, or freeze them. For best flavor, use frozen turkey
in about four months and stuffing and gravy in one month.
For some recipe ideas on enjoying leftover turkey, check
the Lancaster County Extension Web site at: lancaster.unl.edu/food/turkey.htm |
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ou
can roast your turkey up to a year later if you don't
get around to fixing it this year! Just keep it stored
at 0 degrees F or lower. |
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Check
Out These Related Articles from the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA):
- Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing
- Turkey Basics: Handling Precooked Dinners
- Turkey: Basics Safe Cooking
- "No-Show" Guests Jeopardize Food
For
more information on Food Safety and Nutrition, visit here.
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