What do I do if my turkey is done way too early?
From a user who posted as an answer elsewhere:
I cooked the 22 pound turkey way to early. It's done at 10:30 and we aren't eating till 4:00. Right now I have it sitting in the roaster covered with towels and aluminum foil. What should I do? Should I keep it there for the three hours? Then it's still another 2 hours till serving.
Whatever the exact specifics, what can someone do if they end up in this situation? Similarly, what if someone wants to cook the turkey early like this - is there anything they can plan ahead for?
Best Answer
If possible I'd remove it from the oven and slice it up and put it in the fridge to cool it down as fast as possible to stop the cooking.
When closer to serving, just reheat the meat.
You can pour some of the juice on the carved slices to keep them as moist as possible.
For christmas, this is what we will do (more "extreme) and cook the turkey one day in advance.
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Quick Answer about "What do I do if my turkey is done way too early?"
If your turkey is done too early, things can get a little complicated, but it's not the end of the world. If it's done around an hour early, let it rest uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then cover your turkey with some foil and a thick towel or blanket to keep it warm.How do you Recook an undercooked turkey?
Carve off the legs and breasts, keeping them as intact as you can. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in a preheated oven at around 375\xbaF (190\xb0C). Check your turkey chunks every 15 minutes with a meat thermometer until they hit an internal temp of 165\xbaF (74\xb0C). Slice up the turkey, and platter it.How do you keep a turkey warm without drying it out?
If your oven isn't stuffed full of other dishes, or if you are one of the lucky folks who have a spare oven, then you can hold the turkey there at 200\xb0F, although you should cover the bird to make sure it doesn't dry out. The most common way to keep a turkey warm is to cover it with foil.Can I cook my turkey half way and then finish later?
Although you should never partially cook a turkey and complete cooking later, you can cook the bird ahead of time and reheat the meat later. After removing the fully cooked turkey from the oven, let it sit for 30 minutes to allow the juices to settle into the meat before carving.Can you partially cook a turkey and then finish cooking it the next day?
Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry to refrigerate and finish later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially cook meat and poultry in the microwave or on the stove only if the food is transferred immediately to the hot grill to finish cooking.How to Know When Your Thanksgiving Turkey is Done
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Answer 2
If you have the oven space available (ie, you aren't using it for something else), you can wrap it in foil, and keep it in a low oven. The breast meat may end up overcooking, but if you give most people sufficient gravy, they won't complain. If they do, you can use our family rule : 'if you complain about the food, you have to cook next time'.
You can also cut the breasts off and chill them, so that you're only keeping the dark meat warm, but you'll need to wrap it well, as that large cut surface will lose moisture in the oven.
Answer 3
Our 23 lb turkey was ready 2hrs early. Took it out of the oven, popped on the roasting pan lid and let it rest. Then drained out the juices and made gravy. Turkey stayed in the roaster, lid on. First hr, just turned the oven down to keep warm and it was fine. Second hr, out of the oven and roasting pan on the counter wrapped in towels. Freed up my oven for everything else. By carving time it was still toasty hot and everybit was moist.
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