Gorgeous! You can make a whole roasted turkey in your own oven at home!
If you're cooking a turkey for the first time, you might be surprised by its size and worry about whether it will taste good. So, in this article, we'll tell you the best way to defrost a turkey and how long it will take.
Tips for preparing a delicious roasted turkey
If you store it in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator at home, it will be so big that it will fill up the freezer, so you should prepare it by counting back from the date you want to eat it.
How to properly thaw a frozen turkey
Not many people have an experience in cooking a whole turkey. The whole turkeys you can buy from us are prepped and frozen, so it requires very little effort to cook them. Turkey is relatively easy to cook, but the key to making it even more delicious is how you thaw the meat.
Turkeys come in a variety of sizes, and the thawing time varies depending on the size of the turkey. If you rush to thaw the turkey at room temperature without taking the time to thaw it, the turkey will lose its flavor and moisture, resulting in a disappointment. Our turkey product page has the list of the thawing times for each size, so be sure to check before thawing.
There are three recommended thawing methods:
- Thaw slowly in the refrigerator.
-Wrap the turkey in two plastic bags and thaw it in ice water.
- In the same way, wrap the food in a bag and thaw it under running water.
If thawed in the refrigerator, a 6-8 pound whole turkey will take about two days. If thawed in ice water, it will take four hours. If thawed under running water, it will be ready to cook in three to four hours, but thawing slowly in the refrigerator keeps the best flavor.
Recommended roasting methods and precautions to make a delicious turkey look great at a party
As long as you have a turkey, you don't need any special ingredients, but since it will be the main attraction of the party, you'll want to make it look even better. Prepare some side dishes to go with it before roasting.
Also, if chicken or turkey, is undercooked, it can cause food poisoning, so make sure it is cooked thoroughly through to the center before serving it.
This time, we will introduce the ingredients and cooking method for a 3kg turkey for 6 to 8 people.
- <Ingredients>
-
[Saumur liquid for marinating]
★Water: 400cc
★Salt: 20g
★Sugar: 20g
★Herbs such as rosemary or bay leaves, as desired (optional)
*Saumur liquid is used to remove excess moisture from ingredients and add flavor.
[Side dishes]
2-3 each of carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
- <How to make>
-
1. Once the turkey has been completely thawed as explained in the previous section, remove the bag containing the turkey's neck and liver, hearts, and gizzards from the area where the turkey's innards were stored.
Next, lightly rinse the surface and inside of the turkey with water, place the ingredients marked with ★ and the turkey in a large plastic bag, remove the air, and then tie the top tightly with a rubber band to prevent the Saumur liquid from leaking out.
Leave it in the refrigerator for 3 hours to 1 day to let the seasoning set.
2. Remove the seasoned turkey from the bag and place it on a deep casserole and leave it at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
Be careful not to bake it while it is still cold without bringing it back to room temperature, as this will prevent the heat from circulating and may result in it being undercooked.
3. Brush the surface of the turkey with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, then cover the entire turkey with aluminum foil and place in an oven preheated to 190°C and cook for 2 hours.
4. Cut the vegetables and place them around the turkey (from step 3, after removing the aluminum foil), then heat in a 220°C oven for another hour.
5. Once the turkey is done, check the red pin (pop-up timer) on the turkey. If the pin pops up, it means the turkey is cooked through.
If the turkey is cooked through, put it back into the oven and keep it warm until you are ready to eat (you will use the juices for gravy).
- <Ingredients for gravy>
-
・Meat juice: 400ml
・Onion: 1
・Flour: 3 tbs
・Olive oil: 1 tbs
・Salt and consommé: 1 tsp of each
・Black pepper: a little
- <How to make gravy>
-
1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry the sliced onions until soft.
2. Add flour to 1 and stir-fry lightly, then add about 100cc of the meat juice and mix well. Add the remaining meat juice little by little and simmer until thickened.
3. Season with salt, consommé, and pepper, and blend using a hand blender or mixer until smooth.
Besides dipping it in turkey, it's also delicious on side vegetables or mashed potatoes!
Turkey recipes you can enjoy the next day
If you're having a special party, there will likely be other dishes prepared besides a roasted turkey. As a result, there may be times when you can't finish it all in one night and have some leftovers. In such cases, we'd like to introduce some recipes that use leftover roasted turkey!
Turkey sandwich
Simply prepare your favorite bread and vegetables, and sandwich them together with the boneless turkey! It goes perfectly with mayonnaise, Italian dressing, Japanese dressing, or any other light flavor dressing.
Turkey curry
How about a Pakistani-style curry made with turkey that has been slowly simmered until it is tender?
Put olive oil (3 tbs), grated ginger (1 tbs), chopped garlic (2 cloves), and boneless turkey (300g) into a pot and heat over medium heat until fragrant.
Add one finely chopped onion, one tbs of curry powder, a little pepper, cumin seeds and garam masala and fry for about 3 minutes, then add one ripe tomato and mash it while lightly frying, then cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Once the simmering is done, stir-fry the chicken over medium heat while breaking it up with a spatula to evaporate the moisture, then season with salt (1/2 tsp or more) and honey (1 tsp) and it's done!
Even easier, you can just add some turkey as your regular curry meat.
Turkey Caesar Salad
Place romaine lettuce, sliced onions, and tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces in a salad bowl and top with shredded turkey and croutons!
Add grated cheese and Caesar salad dressing to create a hearty and easy turkey Caesar salad.
This time, we've introduced how to make a whole roasted turkey in your home oven, as well as some recipes for using leftover turkey. The process itself isn't particularly difficult, and if you have the time, you can enjoy a delicious whole roasted turkey. Just imagine the delighted and surprised looks on the faces of your party guests when they see the roasted turkey, and you'll have fun preparing it. We hope you'll give it a try!
Products used in this recipe
-
American Turkey Breast
-
Turkey Pastrami Slices (Turkey Deli Ham)