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Chef Advises On How To Select A Thanksgiving Turkey (SPM Wire) The whole family soon will be gathered around your table for a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Don't disappoint with a bird that's too small, too dry, or worse, undercooked. Armando Veliz, the Executive Chef of a chain of 139 casual-dining restaurants, has been carefully selecting and roasting the restaurants' most successful menu item, the Thanksgiving turkey, for 20 years. Here are his tips for picking the perfect bird. • Count heads. Figure on 1.3 pounds of uncooked turkey per person. For leftovers, allow for two pounds or more. • Choose a refrigerated turkey instead of a frozen one. It's typically juicier. If you go frozen, allow two to three days to thaw in the refrigerator. It takes 24 hours to defrost each five pounds. • There are different grades of turkey. Choose Grade A. • To guarantee moist and succulent meat, select pre-basted turkeys and spend less time worrying about the marinating process on cooking day. • Go with a free-range turkey for robust flavor and a stronger texture. They are raised without antibiotics, on feed that was grown in fields that haven't been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. • Pick a male (a tom) for a higher proportion of white breast meat. • Make sure the turkey has a built-in thermometer that pops-up when it reaches its perfect temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
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