10 Common Turkey Blunders and Solutions

Photo: Jupiterimages.

We've called in chef and author Elizabeth Karmel to answer these frequently asked turkey questions for Thanksgiving.

"Even if you make the turkey every year, you need a refresher before Turkey Day," Karmel says. "I supervised the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line early in my career and we found that since most people only cook a turkey once a year, they need help remembering how to cook it. "

1. What if you don't have enough drippings for the gravy?

I have a great gravy trick I learned from my mother, and I use it every single year:

a. Take all of the giblets and the neck (you'll find them packed inside the turkey), toss them with olive oil and salt, chop up some onions, celery, and carrots and roast them at high heat (400 degrees F), to caramelize and intensify their flavors.

b. Put everything into a sauce pan with a couple cups of chicken broth and then, while you're working through the rest of the menu, simmer it for several hours until it reduces.

c. Add white wine for depth of flavor, and whisk in to create a light turkey gravy. If you prefer your gravy on the chunky side, strip the meat off the neck, chop up the giblets and add this to the gravy.




2. What do you do if your turkey is still frozen?

Rule of thumb: If you are buying a frozen turkey, you should buy your turkey the weekend before Thanksgiving. Place it on a tray in the fridge in its original wrapping and let it slowly thaw during the days leading up to Thanksgiving. If it is still frozen on Thanksgiving morning, place it in a large clean sink under cold running water for 2-4 hours, depending how frozen it is; if it's solid frozen it could take longer. Do not use hot water, as that creates the perfect temperature for bacteria to grow and you may end up with a food-safety issue on your hands.

3. How do you ensure a juicy turkey?

Brining is an absolutely no-fail guarantee for a perfectly seasoned, juicy turkey, and it ensures that your turkey is thawed. However, you only want to brine a turkey that has not been pre-seasoned by the processor. Brine your turkey at home with a Simple Basic Brine or a flavored mixture, such as my Orange Brine.

It's optimal to brine the turkey in refrigerator in cold water or in a cooler outside (depending on the outside temperature) for up to 24 hours. It will be completely seasoned inside and out and will require very little preparation to get it ready for the oven or the grill.

To finish the turkey, brush a light coat of olive oil on the skin to seal in the juices and roast it in a 325 degree F oven in an open pan. The result will be a beautiful golden-brown colored skin. Achieve a crispy crust with virtually no fuss with a brining bag.

If you didn't brine the turkey and you've over-cooked it or otherwise dried it out, you can slice the meat, put the gravy directly on top of it, and gently heat it in a 300 degree F oven.

Brush up on your brining skills with our How to Brine guide.

4. How do you extract the giblets?

The giblets and the neck bone are tucked away inside the cavity of the bird. You will have to stick your hand in the cavity of the turkey (I generally put a glove on) to remove them. And you will have to work both sides of the turkey -- one side has the neck bone and one side has the giblets.

This is also a good indicator to see how thawed the turkey is. If it is still frozen, it will be hard to remove the package of giblets and the neck bone. If so, place the turkey in cold running water until you can remove the neck and giblets.

5. What are the different ways to carve a turkey?

There are two ways to carve a turkey. The traditional method is to make a lower cut underneath the breast and carve it into thin slices off of the breast.

The less popular way is something I call the "butcher cut" because it is the way butchers carve a turkey. This method keeps the turkey juicier, helps you avoids shredding the meat, and makes a better turkey presentation.

Instead of carving large slices from the breast lengthwise, remove the whole breast from the bone and slice it into individual pieces. Put it back on the platter and arrange it like a whole breast; repeat with the other side of the breast and the thigh meat. Carve the rest of the bird in pieces, adding the drumsticks and wings.

6. What if the turkey's not completely cooked through?

a. Serve everyone another drink and eat later!

b. Depending on how undercooked it is, you can cut the turkey into chunks or large pieces (breast, drumstick, thigh) and put the whole thing back in the oven. Once the turkey is in smaller segments, it will cook faster.

c. Or, carve the turkey into thick slices and sauté in butter, olive oil, or a mixture of the two in a hot heavy-bottomed pan. The meat will be cooked and the outside becomes crispy. This is something my sisters and I called "fried turkey" when we were growing up and we love doing this with leftover turkey as well.

7. What should I do with a precooked turkey from the grocery store?

There are three good ways to serve a turkey that you have purchased precooked:

a. Serve it at room temperature, which is a great thing to do if you've purchased a smoked turkey. By the time everyone sits down to eat, it's usually not steaming hot anyway.

b. Slice the turkey, pour gravy directly over it, cover it with aluminum foil, and gently reheat it in a 300 degree F oven.

c. Heat up the whole turkey so you can preserve the ritual of carving it at the table. Do this in an oven preheated to 325 degree F in an open pan. Be careful, as this method is prone to lead to overcooking if you don't keep a watchful eye.

8. What should I do if I have limited oven space?

a. The easiest thing to do is to use your outdoor grill as an outdoor oven. Reheat side dishes and casseroles on the grill, or grill your turkey, which will the free up the entire oven. You can easily reheat bread and rolls in aluminum foil by adding a few drops of water to the packet, which will keep the bread soft and grill over indirect heat for 10 minutes. Make sure to heat or re-heat everything using indirect heat, as your food will likely burn if you use direct heat.

b. If you don't have a grill, look at your menu. You'll likely find that most of the sides and desserts can be made in advance. Come up with alternatives for classics, as well. For example, instead of serving green bean casserole, serve a marinated green bean side dish that doesn't have to be served hot. The most important thing you can do is map out your dishes and make one dish a day until Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving morning, bake everything off and cook the turkey and the gravy. The gravy can even be made the night before and reheated the next day if you use my make-ahead method.

c. If you're really limited on space and time, ask your guests to bring a dish, and be very specific about what you need them to bring.

9. How do I achieve a perfectly brown, crispy skin?

Brush a brined turkey all over with extra-virgin olive oil. If the turkey has not been brined, brush with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper or your favorite spice blend. Roast the turkey in an open pan at 325 degree F. I don't recommend roasting the turkey at a higher temperature because you run the risk of having it be overdone on the outside and underdone on the inside. Since it's such a large piece of meat, you need the outside to be golden brown at the same time the turkey meat is done. A higher temperature may very likely create an unevenly cooked turkey.

I use extra-virgin olive oil specifically because I love the taste and it has a thicker viscosity, meaning that it sticks to the turkey and doesn't drip off and leave a puddle of oil in the roasting pan or cause flare-ups on a grill. It promotes caramelizing and crispiness with a light, thin coating. Vegetable oils will work as well but may create a pool of oil at the bottom of the pan and I don't think they taste as good.

10. Is it better to buy a fresh or frozen turkey?

Fresh vs. Frozen: This is a big debate that my family and friends drag me into every year! I prefer a frozen turkey that is not injected or seasoned with anything. Turkeys that are already injected tend to be injected with a very salty broth. If you plan on brining something already injected, your turkey might be too salty.

There are two downsides to a frozen turkey. One, you have to plan in advance because it can take up to five days to thaw in the refrigerator, depending on size. Two, a frozen bird loses some of its natural juices as it thaws -- making brining a necessary step toward achieving a a juicy roasted turkey. But all in all, I still prefer a turkey that is flash frozen just after it is processed.

Generally speaking, a fresh turkey is processed around the same time a frozen turkey is processed. Frozen turkeys are flash frozen the minute they are processed, so it's basically preserved at that point. Fresh turkeys are held just above freezing point from the time they are processed, so they are still considered fresh. Since the turkey can travel in this state for a month or so before it is cooked, I think that a fresh turkey isn't as pristine as the one that is flash frozen. This generalization does not pertain to fresh turkey farms or heritage turkeys that you may order and/or pick up when the turkey is processed.

To learn more tips and tricks and get delicious recipes, pick up one of Elizabeth Karmel's books, visit her Web site, and follow her on Twitter!

Karmel's Disclaimer: Thanksgiving is about tradition above all things. And because of that, tensions, turkey trauma and opinions run high regarding Thanksgiving. And, I feel that the most important thing is to keep that tradition alive. If your family tradition differs from any of my family traditions or opinions, I say keep doing it, the same way you've been doing it -- if you are happy with it! Otherwise, try it my way and see if it works better for you, and Happy Thanksgiving!