Dietitian Addresses the Ever-Stressful Turkey Prep

While Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to gather and celebrate, let’s be honest: the real focus is on the meal. And few foods come with as much stress and confusion as the Thanksgiving turkey.  

 healthy living advisor and registered dietitian Shari Steinbach addresses the myriad Thanksgiving meal troubles—from how long to cook your turkey and how to safely thaw one, to how to know when it’s thoroughly cooked.  

Check out this video of Shari addressing these and other turkey topics.

And below is a description of each short soundbite.  

Here’s a rundown of specific topics:

How to Buy the Right Size Turkey (:27 sec)

• Meijer dietitian says you’ll need 1 lb. of uncooked turkey for every guest. Add another .5 lb. if you want leftovers. 
    

Proper Cooking Time (:32 sec)

• Meijer’s Shari Steinbach suggests cooking an unstuffed turkey for 12-15 mins. per lb., and a stuffed turkey for 18-20 mins. per lb. 

Turkey Thawing and Safety Tips (:50 sec)

• It’s a food safety risk to thaw a turkey at room temperature on the kitchen counter.
• Put frozen, wrapped turkey on a baking sheet in your refrigerator.
• For every 4-5 lbs., allow 24 hours of thawing time.
• If pinched for time, submerge the frozen, wrapped turkey in cold water (30 minutes/pound).

Safety Tip – Proper Temperature to Cook a Turkey (:38 sec)

• Meijer’s Steinbach says that when the temperature in the thigh is about 180 degrees, it’s done .
• If the bird is stuffed, insert thermometer into the middle of the stuffing and wait for it to reach 160 degrees.
• Let a cooked turkey sit for about 40 minutes before carving it. 

Optional Ways to Prepare a Turkey (:33 sec)

• In this clip, Shari suggests other ways to cook a turkey using techniques such as deep-frying or basting.