Safely thawing your turkey is one of the most important steps in preparing your thanksgiving meal. What could be worse than getting a food-borne illness?
To ensure you and your guests enjoy your meal without getting sick be sure to follow one of these two thawing methods:
Method 1: thaw in the refrigerator
This is the easiest method, however, it does take quite a long time, so be sure to plan ahead.
Make sure your refrigerator is at 40 degrees or cooler
Leaving the turkey in its original packaging place the turkey on a tray or pan. This will ensure that any juice won’t leak all over your fridge while thawing. Tip: Place the turkey at the bottom of your fridge just in case juice do leak out, they won’t contaminate anything below.
Allow 24 hours of thawing time for every 4 to 5 pounds. See chart below for additional details
Turkey Weight
Thawing Time
Up to 12 pounds
1-3 days
12-16 pounds
3-4 days
16-20 pounds
4-5 days
20-24 pounds
5-6 days
Method 2: Cold Water
Cold water thawing takes less time than refrigerator thawing, but it requires a lot more attention.
Fill sink or large basin full of water 50 degrees or cooler
Leaving the turkey in the originally packaging place the turkey, breast side down, in the water. There should be enough cold water to cover your turkey completely.
Change water every 30 minutes to ensure that water is at least 40 degrees.
Turkey will take about 30 minutes to thaw for every pound.
A thawed turkey may be kept in the refrigerator up to 4 days before cooking. Feel free to start thawing early!
A stress-free thanksgiving centers on planning. If things are thought out, well planned and prepared ahead of time, your thanksgiving meal is sure to go off without a hitch. Don’t forget to view ourWeekly Ad for all of our great Thanksgiving deals!
Plan ahead: At least a week in advance plan your meal. Don’t make generic plans, be specific and decide exactly what you want and how you want it. Once your plans are made, delegate to your guests and then make a shopping list. If you are planning to purchase a frozen turkey, be sure to purchase it at least five days in advance so you can start the thawing process. There are several ways to thaw your turkey, click here to learn about the different methods. Remember each safe method takes time.
Stick to what you know: Never try a new recipe for a big get-together. You never know what to expect and how it will taste so it’s best to avoid it. Also, remember to stick to the thanksgiving classics: Turkey, stuffing, yams, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pie etc. Your guests will be expecting these things and may be disappointed if you don’t have them.
Create a workflow: A workflow will help you manage your tasks and ensure that everything gets done. Be sure to plan some downtime into your workflow so you don’t feel too exhausted when your guests arrive.
Work ahead: Many thanksgiving favorites can be made a day or two in advance. Pumpkin pie, stuffing and cranberry sauce all keep well. Some dishes are best when made the day of, but you can get them prepared earlier in the day and then keep them warm. Did you know you can cook and mash your potatoes several hours in advance? After you mash them, place them in a slow cooker to keep warm.
Assign clean up duty: If you’ve been in the kitchen all morning. You deserve a break. Assign your spouse, kids or well-known guests to help you clean up. There is nothing worse that cooking all morning and cleaning all evening; so remember, it’s okay to ask for help. Most people are happy to lend a hand, especially, when they didn’t have to host Thanksgiving.
So start your planning, make your lists and stop by one of our locations today. We have everything you need for your thanksgiving meal and our friendly team members are here to help you celebrate thanksgiving without stress.
If you want to take stress-free to a whole new level: check out our Thanksgiving meal options in the deli. You can pick up a prepared meal so you don’t have to worry about the cooking and can spend even more time with your family and friends.
Create the perfect appetizer with 3 simple ingredients. The sweet cranberry mixed with the sharpness of the brie is the perfect filling for a flaky and buttery puff pastry.
Ingredients:
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 round brie
1 can Food Club® cranberry sauce
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into quarters.
Dollop brie and cranberry sauce in the center and fold in the corners.
Bake for 5-10 minutes until golden brown (be sure to watch carefully. Puff pastry is very quick to burn).
You can
never go wrong with ham and homemade cranberry glaze for the holidays. This
delicious and easy recipe not only smells amazing but tastes great!
Prep: 30 minutes Slow Cook: 3 hours Serves: 16
3 cups Food Club® Cranberry Juice Cocktail From
Concentrate
1 cup Food Club® Original Syrup
1 cup Food Club® Light Brown Sugar
½ cup Food Club® Honey
½ cup Food Club® Spicy Brown Mustard
1 hickory
smoked boneless ham (about 4½ pounds)
1½ cups
fresh or thawed, frozen cranberries
Fresh
thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, add cranberry
juice, syrup, honey and mustard; add ham. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low
6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 140°, turning once. Transfer ham
to cutting board; loosely tent with aluminum foil.
In large saucepot, cook cranberries
and cranberry juice mixture remaining in slow cooker over medium-high heat 20
minutes or until reduced by ½, stirring frequently. Makes about 3 cups.
Carve ham; serve drizzled with
cranberry glaze garnished with thyme, if desired.
Approximate nutritional values
per serving (4 ounces ham, 3 tablespoons glaze): 337 Calories, 6g Fat (2g
Saturated), 68mg Cholesterol, 1706mg Sodium, 43g Carbohydrates, 0g Fiber, 40g
Sugars, 28g Protein
You can
never go wrong with ham and homemade cranberry glaze for the holidays. This
delicious and easy recipe not only smells amazing but tastes great!
Prep: 30 minutes Slow Cook: 3 hours Serves: 16
3 cups Food Club® Cranberry Juice Cocktail From
Concentrate
1 cup Food Club® Original Syrup
1 cup Food Club® Light Brown Sugar
½ cup Food Club® Honey
½ cup Food Club® Spicy Brown Mustard
1 hickory
smoked boneless ham (about 4½ pounds)
1½ cups
fresh or thawed, frozen cranberries
Fresh
thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, add cranberry
juice, syrup, honey and mustard; add ham. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low
6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 140°, turning once. Transfer ham
to cutting board; loosely tent with aluminum foil.
In large saucepot, cook cranberries
and cranberry juice mixture remaining in slow cooker over medium-high heat 20
minutes or until reduced by ½, stirring frequently. Makes about 3 cups.
Carve ham; serve drizzled with
cranberry glaze garnished with thyme, if desired.
Approximate nutritional values
per serving (4 ounces ham, 3 tablespoons glaze): 337 Calories, 6g Fat (2g
Saturated), 68mg Cholesterol, 1706mg Sodium, 43g Carbohydrates, 0g Fiber, 40g
Sugars, 28g Protein
You can
never go wrong with ham and homemade cranberry glaze for the holidays. This
delicious and easy recipe not only smells amazing but tastes great!
Prep: 30 minutes Slow Cook: 3 hours Serves: 16
3 cups Food Club® Cranberry Juice Cocktail From
Concentrate
1 cup Food Club® Original Syrup
1 cup Food Club® Light Brown Sugar
½ cup Food Club® Honey
½ cup Food Club® Spicy Brown Mustard
1 hickory
smoked boneless ham (about 4½ pounds)
1½ cups
fresh or thawed, frozen cranberries
Fresh
thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, add cranberry
juice, syrup, honey and mustard; add ham. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low
6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 140°, turning once. Transfer ham
to cutting board; loosely tent with aluminum foil.
In large saucepot, cook cranberries
and cranberry juice mixture remaining in slow cooker over medium-high heat 20
minutes or until reduced by ½, stirring frequently. Makes about 3 cups.
Carve ham; serve drizzled with
cranberry glaze garnished with thyme, if desired.
Approximate nutritional values
per serving (4 ounces ham, 3 tablespoons glaze): 337 Calories, 6g Fat (2g
Saturated), 68mg Cholesterol, 1706mg Sodium, 43g Carbohydrates, 0g Fiber, 40g
Sugars, 28g Protein
1. Place 13 x 9-inch
metal baking pan in oven. Preheat oven to 400°. In small bowl, combine salt,
garlic powder and pepper; rub mixture over pork. Place pork in preheated pan
and roast 30 minutes or until outside is browned.
2. Reduce
temperature to 325°. Add broth to pan; cover and roast 10 minutes longer or
until internal temperature reaches 135°. Transfer pork to cutting board and let
stand 15 minutes before slicing (internal temperature will rise to 145° upon
standing). Reserve pork drippings remaining in pan.
3. Meanwhile, in
large skillet, toast pecans over medium-high heat 8 to10 minutes or until
lightly browned, stirring occasionally; transfer pecans to plate. Heat same
skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and butter, and cook 7 to 8 minutes
or until apples are lightly browned. Add brown sugar, sage and reserved pork
drippings; heat to boiling over high heat.
4. In cup, combine
water and cornstarch; whisk into apple mixture and heat to boiling over high
heat. Boil 1 minute; remove skillet from heat. To serve, slice pork and spoon apples
and sauce over pork; sprinkle with pecans.
1. Place 13 x 9-inch
metal baking pan in oven. Preheat oven to 400°. In small bowl, combine salt,
garlic powder and pepper; rub mixture over pork. Place pork in preheated pan
and roast 30 minutes or until outside is browned.
2. Reduce
temperature to 325°. Add broth to pan; cover and roast 10 minutes longer or
until internal temperature reaches 135°. Transfer pork to cutting board and let
stand 15 minutes before slicing (internal temperature will rise to 145° upon
standing). Reserve pork drippings remaining in pan.
3. Meanwhile, in
large skillet, toast pecans over medium-high heat 8 to10 minutes or until
lightly browned, stirring occasionally; transfer pecans to plate. Heat same
skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and butter, and cook 7 to 8 minutes
or until apples are lightly browned. Add brown sugar, sage and reserved pork
drippings; heat to boiling over high heat.
4. In cup, combine
water and cornstarch; whisk into apple mixture and heat to boiling over high
heat. Boil 1 minute; remove skillet from heat. To serve, slice pork and spoon apples
and sauce over pork; sprinkle with pecans.
Muffin’ compares to this Thanksgiving leftover recipe! Stuff your muffin tins and stomachs full with this stuffing and turkey mixture to keep the Thanksgiving spirit alive. It’s a simple and easy way to make the most of your leftovers, one delicious muffin at a time.
Ingredients
3 cups precooked stuffing
1 cup chopped turkey, ham, or mixture of both
6 large eggs
2 tbsp milk or cream
¼ tsp salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°.
Add the stuffing and turkey and/or ham into a bowl and stir lightly, being sure to not break up the stuffing too much.
Coat your muffin tin heavily with butter or a non-stick spray as the mixture will stick if not coated liberally. Divide your mixture into the tins loosely to leave room for the egg mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Place the egg mixture into the muffin tins. Don’t overfill as the mixtures will expand while cooking.
Bake your muffins for 25-30 min or until lightly crisp and golden on the top.
Let muffins cool. Loosen the edges with a knife and remove the muffins.
