Thanksgiving Trouble Shooting: 10 Common Mishaps and How to Fix Them (2024)

FAQs

How to prevent turkey from burning? ›

Turkey is cooked only when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. You can fix it: Cover the whole bird with aluminum foil to prevent the skin from burning before the meat has finished cooking, and go ahead and crank up the oven heat. (But don't go over 475°F. Higher than that and it may burn.)

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

There's no better to infuse a little humor into the situation than during a family gathering. Gather a supply of Thanksgiving jokes, puns or even good ol' fashioned dad jokes and you'll have everyone laughing around the table in no time.

In keeping with the true meaning of the holiday, you could also try a tradition that incorporates the idea of gratitude: Write thank-you notes to loved ones near and far, start a gratitude jar, or give back to your community by volunteering at a soup kitchen.

Noises and Other Disturbances

As a result of sharing space with hawks, raccoons and the occasional badger, turkeys have developed an instinctive avoidance of loud noises. You can take advantage of this aversion by making some kind of noisemaker that will be loud enough to spook the birds from across the lawn.

If you brine the turkey for too long then it can start to have a negative effect and the proteins in the meat will start to break down, causing the meat to fall apart. So always keep to the guideline times and if your cooking time changes, remove the turkey from the brine, pat it dry and refrigerate it until needed.

Resist the urge to raise the oven temperature if the turkey is not browning properly. This may just dry out the meat. Instead, try brushing the skin with a mixture of honey and melted butter; the sugars will help brown the skin.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

Should I put liquid in the bottom of my turkey roasting pan? ›

Adding water to the bottom of the pan keeps the meat extra juicy and tender as it roasts.

Never leave leftovers at room temperature. Pathogenic bacteria can grow rapidly in the "Danger Zone," the temperature range between 40°F and 140°F. Because they do not generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of a food, one cannot tell that a pathogen is present.

Bring the baked stuffing to room temperature so that it will reheat evenly (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 350 F and warm the dish covered for 30 to 40 minutes, until it is heated through. To recreate the crispy top found in freshly-baked stuffing, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of the baking time.

Heat the oven to 350°F and transfer the stuffing to an oven-safe dish (or, you can keep it in the dish that it was originally cooked in). If it seems dry, you'll want to add a splash of broth. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake again until crisp, 15–20 minutes.

Add Butter and Broth Before Reheating

Depending on the amount of stuffing you plan to reheat, drizzle a few tablespoons or up to 1/4 cup of chicken or turkey broth into the stuffing to moisten it. Adding a pat of butter to the top of the stuffing before reheating also adds some richness that can be lost with leftovers.

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture.