Thanksgiving Dinner Tips: Tips for thawing turkey, storing leftovers and other ways to avoid disaster

New cooks nervous about attempting their first Turkey Day rubs can avoid disaster and keep everyone healthy by following a few basic tips, food experts say.

Plan your Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time.

When it comes to the meal itself, experts advise starting well before the big day. Common mistake: failure to plan all meals on time. This includes allowing enough time for the frozen turkey to defrost in the refrigerator, where the temperature is low enough to prevent bacteria from growing.

Since it takes a day of thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds, depending on the size of the turkey, this may take several days. Otherwise, if you place a frozen turkey in the oven, the bird will look nicely browned but will still be cold inside.

“Essentially, you get a turkey popsicle that might look good, but it can’t be cooked,” said Frank Proto of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

Cooking turkey

Experts say that once the bird is thawed, you should resist any urge to rinse it before cooking, which could end up spattering germs. Thorough cooking should kill all germs on the turkey.

To ensure the bird is cooked properly (it should register 165 degrees at the thickest part), you should also use a meat thermometer. Contrary to the advice many have given Huey, experts aren’t thrilled with the pop-up thermometers that get stuck on some birds.

“They’re not always effective at detecting temperature,” said Angela Shaw, a food safety specialist at Iowa State University.

While there is some debate about this, Shaw also recommends cooking the stuffing outside of the turkey. Otherwise, she said, the bird could become infected with bacteria. If the stuffing is hot enough to kill germs, it could mean the turkey will burn or dry out, she said.

Leftovers

Temperature control can be a challenge even after everyone has eaten; Experts advise refrigerating leftovers for two hours, as bacteria can quickly grow on leftover food.

However, leftover food does not last forever, and it is important to follow food safety guidelines to prevent the spread of foodborne illness. As a general guide, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends eating or freezing the turkey and other leftovers within three to four days. For Thanksgiving, this means you have to eat or freeze the food before Monday.

Stories from Turkey Day newcomers

Dry, overcooked poultry is a major concern for Celeste Molina, who is staying home with her partner and roommates instead of spending time with family because of the pandemic. Molina, who works at a screen printing company in Portland, Oregon, knows how unsuccessful first attempts can be; many years ago, her aunt burned a bird at Thanksgiving.

“We got to her house and she was like, ‘I’ll just order you guys McDonald’s,'” she said.

Molina isn’t worried about her first turkey, but just in case, she and her partner plan to buy a chicken to roast together.

Laurie DeSanti, a real estate agent in Meriden, Conn., will also be cooking turkey with her husband for the first time, instead of going to her father’s or a relative’s house.

DeSanti isn’t too worried about the turkey—she’s never been a big fan of it—and is focused on developing the stuffing recipe.

“That’s what I’m more worried about being destroyed,” she said.

This year, planning ahead may be important for another reason: making sure you can get the right size bird as gatherings are expected to be smaller.

In suburban Detroit, Robin Dwoskin plans to get a turkey breast instead of a whole bird for her first try at Thanksgiving since it will only be her husband, their daughters and her mom. She’s already cooked a turkey in the slow cooker, but hasn’t yet figured out what she’ll do for Thanksgiving.

“I’m still in denial that I’m actually celebrating Thanksgiving this year,” said Dvoskin, who owns a social media engagement company.

Back in North Carolina, Huey reconsiders his dinner plans for his ex-wife and sons.

“Honestly, I hate to say this. I’m thinking about cheating,” said Huey, who owns a health technology company. “I think my next stop is a place that does a fully cooked turkey.”

This story was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated.