Newspaper Page Text
8B
♦ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2007
TURKEY
From page 6B
surfaces that have come in
contact with raw turkey.
Turkey should be con
sumed immediately and left
overs stored in the refrig
erator within two hours of
cooking.
The oils used to fry turkey
are critical to the success of
the product.
Oil Selection
Only oils that have high
smoke points should be
used. Such oils include pea
nut, canola and sunflower.
Peanut oil has abundant fla
vor and is the top choice of
many cooks. Canola oil is low
in saturated fats and would
be appropriate to combine
with peanut oil if fat and
cholesterol are a concern.
Oil Filtering
These high smoke-point
oils allow reusing the oil with
proper filtration. Depending
on the recipe used, remem
ber to filter the oil, not just
strain it. Allow the oil to cool
overnight in the covered pot.
The first step is to strain
the cooled oil through a fine
strainer. If a breading, spice
or herb rub are used in the
preparation of the turkey, it
will be necessary to further
filter the oil through fine
cheesecloth.
Oil Storage
Peanut oil should be cov
ered and refrigerated to pre
vent it from becoming ran
cid. Peanut oil is more per
ishable than other oils and
must be stored in the refrig
erator if kept longer than
one month. Peanut oil may
even be frozen. The oil will
thicken when it is chilled,
but will return to its original
consistency when reheated.
The oil will also develop a
cloudy appearance that may
remain when brought back
to room temperature and
will only clear up temporar
ily while heated. The oil may
remain in the refrigerator
for several months or until
signs of deterioration begin.
Oil Shelf Life
According to the Texas
Peanut Producers Board,
peanut oil may be used three
or four times to fry turkeys
before signs of deteriora
tion begin. Such indications
Don’t let your freezer go to waste
The freezer is proba
bly the most misused
piece of equipment in
many home kitchens. For
many, it is the place where
ice is made, ice cream is
stored and any number of
foil-wrapped chunks of what
once was food reside.
After recently cleaning
out my freezer, I was totally
embarrassed by the amount
of food I had let go to waste.
My freezer had become an
icy burial ground for that
extra chicken breast I meant
to thaw and cook. It con
tained two Bubba Burger
boxes with just one ice crys
tal- covered patty in each.
I’ll soon start over with a
new refrigerator and freezer
- and I have every intention
of putting the new freezer
to better use than the old.
So I consulted the new book
Can I Freeze It? by Susie
Theodorou (William Morrow,
$24.95).
Before you can properly
use a freezer, you need to
know something about how
it works. Food works best
when frozen fast. Fast freez
ing means smaller ice crys
tals. So never put hot food in
the freezer; it takes longer
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include foaming, darkening
or smoking excessively, indi
cating the oil must be dis
carded. Other signs of dete
riorated oil include a rancid
smell and/or failure to bub
ble when food is added.
For more information on
deep frying turkey with pea
nut oil, visit www.louana.
com. It’s outdoor-cooking
time again, and a good time
to develop a new specialty.
Marinated
deep-fried turkey
10 to 12 lb. whole tur
key, non self-basting
2/3 eup vinaigrette
1/3 cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons lemon pep
per seasoning salt
1 teaspoon garlic pow
der
1 teaspoon onion pow
der
1 teaspoon cayenne
pepper
As needed peanut oil
Remove the giblets and
neck, rinse the turkey well
with cold water and pat dry
thoroughly with paper tow
els. Take care to dry both
inside cavities. To allow for
good oil circulation through
out the cavity, do not truss or
tie legs together. Cut off the
wing tips and plump little
tail as they may get caught
in the fryer basket.
In a medium bowl, mix
vinaigrette, dry sherry and
seasonings together. Strain
the marinade.
Place the marinade in
an injection syringe. Inject
the marinade in the turkey
breast, thighs and legs.
Place the bird in a large
plastic bag, refrigerate
and marinate for at least
2 hours. Turn the bag and
massage the turkey from
time to time.
Drain the turkey from the
marinade and discard mari
nade. Place the turkey in
the fryer basket or on a rack,
neck down.
Place the outdoor gas
burner on a level dirt or
grassy area. Never fry a tur
key indoors, in a garage or in
any structure attached to a
building. Do not fry on wood
decks, tvhich could catch fire,
or concrete, which could be
stained by the oil. (Safety
tip: have a fire extinguisher
nearby for added safety.)
to freeze and also warms the
freezer compartment.
- The next one sounds
like a no-brainer, but keep
the freez
er door
closed as
much as
possible.
The freez
er tem
perature
rises while
you’re
holding
the door
open,
wonder-
Dan MacDonald
Columnist
Morris News Service
ing what to defrost for that
night’s meal.
- Theodorou suggests
posting a freezer inventory
so that you know what is
in there and how old it is.
This will help keep the door
closed (consult the list, don’t
scan the freezer contents)
and it will remind you of
what needs to be used.
Keeping a list sounds like
a good-intention project
doomed to failure, but I’m
going to try it. If I know
what’s inside, I’ll be more
likely to think about the
freezer as a food prepara
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Deep fried turkey is a treat that needs to be prepared with safety precautions.
Add oil to a 7-10 gallon
pot with a basket or rack.
At the medium-high setting,
heat the oil to 375 degrees F,
(depending on the amount of
oil, outside temperature and
wind conditions, this should
take about 40 + minutes).
When the oil temperature
registers 375 degrees F on a
deep-fry thermometer, slow
ly lower the turkey into the
hot oil. The level of the oil
will rise due to the frothing
caused by the moisture from
the turkey but will stabilize
in about one minute. (Safety
tips: to prevent burns from
the splattering oil wear oven
mitts/gloves, long sleeves,
heavy shoes and even glass
es. It is wise to have two
people lowering and raising
the turkey.)
Immediately check the oil
temperature and increase
the flame so the oil tempera
tion tool.
- Properly storing food in
the freezer is a must. Air is
the enemy of frozen foods,
as it will dry out many of
them. So vacuum-sealed food
is best. Plastic containers
made for the freezer work
well. Zipper freezer bags are
another good choice. But
make sure the plastic con
tainers and bags are freezer
worthy. Some containers will
become brittle and break in
cold temperatures. Plastic
bags not marked as suitable
for the freezer are too thin
and allow air inside. Plastic
wrap is useless.
- If using glass, don’t fill
the container to the top.
Leave an inch or two of
space to allow the food to
expand when it freezes.
- Also mark the container
with a date and what it con
tains. This will help with
the inventory and will make
things easier to find. Place
items you plan to store for
a while in the coldest part
of the freezer - toward the
back - and those to be used
in the next week or two in
the front or on top.
- When it comes to defrost
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FOOD
ture is maintained at 350
degrees F If the tempera
ture drops to 340 degrees
F or below, oil will begin to
seep into the turkey.
Fry about 3-4 minutes per
pound, or about 35-42 min
utes for a 10-12 pound tur
key. Stay with the cooker at
all times as the heat must be
regulated.
When cooked to 170
degrees F in the breast or
180 degrees F in the thigh,
carefully remove the turkey
from the hot oil. Allow the
turkey to drain for a few
minutes. (Safety tip: allow
the oil to cool completely
before storing or disposing.)
Remove turkey from the
rack and place on a serving
platter. Allow to rest for 20
minutes before carving.
NOTE: Use only oils with
high smoke points, such as
peanut, canola or safflower
ing frozen food, it’s best
to do it in the refrigerator.
It takes time, but the slow
thaw is desirable. Meats are
more moist this way. Place
the food on a plate to catch
any juices and don’t place it
above or on any other food
in the refrigerator.
- Foods such as soups,
stews and marinating meats
can be placed in a bowl of
cold water - never use hot
water. Be sure to change the
water every 30 minutes, and
this method should be used
for no more than two hours.
If you’re in a real hurry,
defrost the item in the
microwave following manu
facturer’s instructions.
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oil. To determine the cor
rect amount of oil, place
the turkey in the pot before
adding seasoning and add
water until turkey is cov
ered. Take turkey out of the
water before marking the oil
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level. Measure the amount of
water and use a correspond
ing amount of oil. Dry the
pot thoroughly of all water.
Recipe Source: The
National Turkey
Federation.
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