Volume 3   Issue  36                        November   2004

Turkey: To Stuff Or Not To Stuff?

Carolina Morning News November 12, 2004

It's an important question. If you don't handle it right or don't cook it properly, a stuffed turkey can make your guests sick from a foodborne illness after they stuff themselves with your improperly cooked stuffing.

A happy ending results with proper preparation of the stuffing. Mix all the ingredients just before it goes into the turkey, using only cooked ingredients such as sautéed vegetables, cooked meats and seafood, and pasteurized egg products instead of raw eggs.

If it's more convenient, the wet and dry ingredients can be prepared separately ahead of time and chilled. Mix the ingredients just before placing the stuffing inside the turkey or in a casserole.

The stuffing should be on the moist side, since heat destroys bacteria more readily in a moist environment.

Stuff both neck and body cavities loosely, using about three-fourths of a cup of stuffing per pound of turkey.
The stuffing should reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F, whether it's in the bird or in the casserole. Use a food thermometer to check all parts of the stuffing to make sure it has reached a safe temperature during cooking.

Immediately after stuffing your turkey, place it in a preheated oven set no lower than 325°F. It's not a good idea to cook a turkey, stuffed or not, in a slow oven overnight. Foodborne bacteria can multiply under such conditions.

Experts in food safety recommend that consumers avoid buying a pre-stuffed turkey. It's highly perishable, and you have no way of knowing whether the bird has been kept frozen all the way from the processor to the meat case.

Partially cooking a turkey to refrigerate it so it can be finished later is not recommended. It is safe to partially cook or microwave a turkey only if it is immediately transferred to a hot grill or oven to finish cooking.

Cooks need not bother opening the oven door to baste the bird throughout the roasting process. It won't make the meat any juicier, since most of the liquid runs off into the pan. Constantly opening the oven door can also cool the oven and increase the roasting time.

The open pan roasting method is the cooking technique of choice. It consistently creates a juicy, tender, golden brown, picture-perfect turkey. Place the turkey breast up on a flat rack in a shallow pan 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, then brush or rub the skin with oil to prevent drying and to enhance the golden color. Put the bird in an oven preheated to 325°F.

When the skin is a light golden color and the turkey is about two-thirds done, shield the breast loosely with a tent of lightweight foil to prevent overcooking.

An 8-12 pound unstuffed turkey will take between 2 3/4 and 3 hours. A bird weighing 20-24 pounds will take between 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Add about 30 minutes to the cooking time for the smaller bird if it's stuffed and about 15 minutes to the time for the larger one.

For more information on cooking times and proper preparation and handling of a turkey, see our turkey preparation instructions on the Internet at the Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.

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