Preparing turkey ahead of time?!
Preparing turkey ahead of time?
For my sister's wedding which is on Canadian thanksgiving - (two weeks away) I have three turkeys to cook and not a lot of time or oven space, so I was thinking of cooking them ahead of time, slicing them etc and then freezing the meat. But I don't want it to end up tasting horrible. Any ideas, suggestions would help
Additional Details9 months ago
Any one's advice who has tried the same thing which good or bad results would be appreciated.
Answers:
9 months ago
Any one's advice who has tried the same thing which good or bad results would be appreciated.
dont terrrible idea
Well, they defintely won't taste the same. They won't have as much taste, maybe kinda dry, and tough depending on how you reheat them. Is there someone else that could help you? If not, you can always go to a grocery. Alot of them cook turkeys, buy two cooked turkeys and make the other one.
Yes, you can cook ahead but I would NOT slice as the meat has a higher chance of drying out. Simply break down the turkey into breasts and legs, wrap in plastic and then place in freezer bags. Be SURE the turkey is totally cool before freezing.
If your freezer is really cold ― maintaining a temperature right around 0°F ― you can keep it for at least a year without any appreciable loss of flavor or texture. We've frozen turkey every thanksgiving and it always turns out good. Good Luck!
I would first wrap it in wax paper (that would be layer #1) then wrap it in aluminum foil, (layer #2) and last I would put it in a plastic zip lock bag so freezer burn will get to it. I have done it that way for a while now, and it once heated you cannot tell the difference.
I have cooked turkey a day ahead of time and just sliced and kept in the refrigerator. I am thinking that this will also work for your frozen turkey slices too. What I do is take the turkey slices and reheat them in a liquid of chicken broth, garlic and sage (your spices can be of your own choice - although the garlic and sage really add a tastee zig to the turkey). I make sure the slices are covered in liquid, cover the pan with aluminum foil and reheat the meat till heated through. This is unbelievable what it does for the meat - the meat absorbs the juices and seasoning and comes out juicey and tastee.
I live in Puerto Rico, all over the island at Thanksgiving time the local bakeries have an offer to cook your turkey for you in their oven for a price. Talk to your local bakery, maybe they will do the same for you. Prepare your turkeys and deliver to the bakery for cooking. Prearrange a time to pick them up. With any luck (and your natural charm) they will cook all three for you for a fee. GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES FOR YOUR SISTER'S WEDDING.
Restaurants do this all the time... so can you !
Keep in mind that "air" in a freezer environment is the reason any food tastes funky ! Do you have access to a vacuum pack sealer ? Cooking your turkey ahead of time, chilling, slicing then vac. sealing and freezing will achieve what you are looking for.... The work done ahead of time with quality outcome!
If you do not have a vac. sealer then you can do the same only wrap carefully in super large Ziploc bags and remove all the air by using a straw and someone who can really suck ! ha ha !
Then wrap these bags in tinfoil and freeze.
Best Wishes for an awesome day !
No I would not do that at all. That is definitely NOT A GOOD IDEA! I would start the turkeys the day before but it will be an all day cooking thing to do three turkeys. Maybe you can use a neighbors kitchen to help you out to speed up the roasting process. If you do most this the day before you just have to put the turkeys in the oven for the final cooking pass on Thanksgiving day morning. Then slice and serve as usual. If one turkey is small enough you can do most of the cooking in a microwave because I have done that when having a lot of guests. I had a big one in the regular oven and a much smaller one in the micro. If they are all big turkeys borrowing the use of a nearby friendly neighbors kitchen would be a big time saver here. You can also roast a turkey starting at around 6 AM on Thanksgiving Day morning too which is what we used to do.
i have done this and it was accepted and praised. i even made gravy and froze it and it cam out nice. potatoes do not freeze well so you should make it fresh.