my 1st turkey day =) ... i dont wanna mess up lol ... any other pointers would be VERY appreciated!
and how do u ladies make ur ham? i bought a small one ... i remember my mom would put ginger ale on ours ... but since she passed i have no one to ask ...
We have a 15lb and it says 2-4 day to thaw. Check your tag or label, it should tel you:) Good luck with your first turkey!!!
I brine mine then do a burbon butter glaze with fresh herbs under the skin.
Safe Methods for Thawing
Refrigerator Thawing
When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator:
- Plan ahead: allow approximately 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F or below.
- Place the turkey in a container to prevent the juices from dripping on other foods.
Refrigerator Thawing Times
Whole turkey:
- 4 to 12 pounds …… 1 to 3 days
- 12 to 16 pounds …… 3 to 4 days
- 16 to 20 pounds …… 4 to 5 days
- 20 to 24 pounds …… 5 to 6 days
A thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days before cooking. Foods thawed
in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking but there may be some loss of quality.
Cold Water Thawing
Allow about 30 minutes per pound.
First be sure the turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent cross-contamination and to
prevent the turkey from absorbing water, resulting in a watery product.
Submerge the wrapped turkey in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey
is thawed. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed.
Cold Water Thawing Times
- 4 to 12 pounds …… 2 to 6 hours
- 12 to 16 pounds …… 6 to 8 hours
- 16 to 20 pounds …… 8 to 10 hours
- 20 to 24 pounds …… 10 to 12 hours
A turkey thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately. After cooking, meat from
the turkey can be refrozen.
Put your turkey in of those Reynold's plastic cooking bags when baking. It comes out nice and juicy.
I think the general guideline is 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds...I have a 14-pounder too, so I put it in the fridge yesterday.
For my ham, I put it in a roasting pan, then stick whole cloves into the skin all the way around it. Then I mix up about 3/4 cup of orange juice, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a squirt of mustard, and a bit of white vinegar, and then pour that on top of the ham. Then I cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 4 hours.
You'll know the ham's done when it starts pulling away from the bone. Then I take the cloves out before DH cuts it, and then use the broth to make gravy with. GL, mama!! Have fun!
~*Becca*~
"Don't let the turkeys get you down..."
Here is a great site that helps you with everything you need to know about cooking a turkey.
How big of a turkey you need to buy with the amount of people that you will feed
How many days do you need to thaw your frozen xx pound turkey
How long is will take to cook your xx pound turkey
http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/calculators-and-conversions
HTH
I have a 14 pound turkey and the above site told me it would take 3 days and 12 hours to thaw in the fridge.
I bought my 12 lb. turkey yesterday and put it straight in the fridge to start thawing (we also keep our fridge pretty cold so thawing times are longer than some may be). I'll check it on Wednesday and if it's still pretty frozen I'll take it out just before bed and put it in a bowl of cold water to get it to finish thawing in time.
The glaze I always use for our ham is a mustard glaze. It's 1 Tbsp. of mustard and 1/4 c. of lt. brown sugar. I use a small canned ham and those measurements are plenty to cover it. I usually put the glaze on in the last 15-30 minutes and will also make some extra on the side for dipping.
Good luck with your first Thanksgiving! The first one is scary, but once you get through it, subsequent years aren't so bad. I have my Thanksgiving dinner down to a science now (I'm hosting my fourth this year and I do ALL the cooking).
This is my second year that I am going to brine my turkey and it is the best.
Quoting SuperPickle:
I brine mine then do a burbon butter glaze with fresh herbs under the skin.
Safe Methods for Thawing
Refrigerator Thawing
When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator:
- Plan ahead: allow approximately 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F or below.
- Place the turkey in a container to prevent the juices from dripping on other foods.
Refrigerator Thawing Times
Whole turkey:
- 4 to 12 pounds …… 1 to 3 days
- 12 to 16 pounds …… 3 to 4 days
- 16 to 20 pounds …… 4 to 5 days
- 20 to 24 pounds …… 5 to 6 days
A thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days before cooking. Foods thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking but there may be some loss of quality.
Cold Water Thawing
Allow about 30 minutes per pound.
First be sure the turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent cross-contamination and to prevent the turkey from absorbing water, resulting in a watery product.
Submerge the wrapped turkey in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed.
Cold Water Thawing Times
- 4 to 12 pounds …… 2 to 6 hours
- 12 to 16 pounds …… 6 to 8 hours
- 16 to 20 pounds …… 8 to 10 hours
- 20 to 24 pounds …… 10 to 12 hours
A turkey thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately. After cooking, meat from the turkey can be refrozen.
Meet Dodie702
This Nevada mom of two - who are just 18 months apart! - is married to her high school sweetheart and loves to craft in her free time.
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on Nov. 23, 2009 at 1:52 PM