Question about a turkey

[blueyedgirl5946]

So you have a 10 / 12 pound turkey in the freezer. That's a lot of meat. Are you going to have a party and invite friends and family to help you eat it up? If not, here's what I'd suggest.

Thaw it in the refrigerator, which will take a few days. When thawed but still icy - Take the breast meat off the bone. Disjoint the legs. Make turkey carcass soup stock from the frame and wings. Roast one breast half and enjoy. Use leftover for - turkey pot pie (freeze extras by lining pot pie container with plastic wrap. Fill with cooled pot pie mixture. Freeze. Remove from container, double wrap, label and return to freezer. If topping with dumplings, make fresh dumplings when thawing & re-heating.) Make turkey tetrazzini. Freeze extra. You get the idea.

Cut up other half breast into small dice and make turkey / white bean chili. Freeze extra in portion size containers.

Braise the legs (brown thighs and drumsticks, set aside. Saute some carrots, in chunks, chopped celery and onion. Return thighs to pan, add a splash of wine, a little of your home made stock. Cover tightly and cook in a slow oven until tender. Great winter meal. Cut meat off bone in large chunks. Freeze in portion size containers, covering meat with braising liquid. If insufficient, combine braising liquid with stock.

With remaining stock make turkey noodle vegetable soup. Yummy!

Label all packages with date. Make a note page on paper or in your computer with several columns - what you made, how many containers of each, use by date, and a column where you can indicate what's been used. Name of Contents / In / Out / Use By

You have so much good eating ahead of you! (And of course, tidbits for the puss cats too.)

So you have a 10 / 12 pound turkey in the freezer. That's a lot of meat. Are you going to have a party and invite friends and family to help you eat it up? If not, here's what I'd suggest.

Thaw it in the refrigerator, which will take a few days. When thawed but still icy - Take the breast meat off the bone. Disjoint the legs. Make turkey carcass soup stock from the frame and wings. Roast one breast half and enjoy. Use leftover for - turkey pot pie (freeze extras by lining pot pie container with plastic wrap. Fill with cooled pot pie mixture. Freeze. Remove from container, double wrap, label and return to freezer. If topping with dumplings, make fresh dumplings when thawing & re-heating.) Make turkey tetrazzini. Freeze extra. You get the idea.

Cut up other half breast into small dice and make turkey / white bean chili. Freeze extra in portion size containers.

Braise the legs (brown thighs and drumsticks, set aside. Saute some carrots, in chunks, chopped celery and onion. Return thighs to pan, add a splash of wine, a little of your home made stock. Cover tightly and cook in a slow oven until tender. Great winter meal. Cut meat off bone in large chunks. Freeze in portion size containers, covering meat with braising liquid. If insufficient, combine braising liquid with stock.

With remaining stock make turkey noodle vegetable soup. Yummy!

Label all packages with date. Make a note page on paper or in your computer with several columns - what you made, how many containers of each, use by date, and a column where you can indicate what's been used. Name of Contents / In / Out / Use By

You have so much good eating ahead of you! (And of course, tidbits for the puss cats too.)

I was hesitant to invited folks to help me eat this turkey. Really what I am thinking is cook it and see. If it looks and smells okay that is. I know a family that needs some help right now and I was thinking if this turkey tastes okay I might share a meal with them. I might could use some of your suggestions here, but I eat gluten free and I would have to consider all that when I make separate meals.

 

[natalie_ca]

That is what I was thinking. When I thaw it, I will look it over good and smell it. If it passes those tests, I will cook it. I am not really creative with a turkey. I have only baked them in the oven in a roasting pan.

That's all you need to do

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooking_school/how_to_cook_a_turkey.php

 

[catapault]

 Make turkey carcass soup stock from the frame and wings. Gluten free

Roast one breast half and enjoy. Use leftover for - turkey pot pie  Rather than dumplings you can top with mashed potatoes

Make turkey tetrazzini. Not this one - noodles have wheat flour

Cut up other half breast into small dice and make turkey / white bean chili. Freeze extra in portion size containers. No gluten, unless beans are an issue

Braise the legs (brown thighs and drumsticks, set aside. Saute some carrots, in chunks, chopped celery and onion. Return thighs to pan, add a splash of wine, a little of your home made stock. Cover tightly and cook in a slow oven until tender. Great winter meal. Cut meat off bone in large chunks. Freeze in portion size containers, covering meat with braising liquid. If insufficient, combine braising liquid with stock. No gluten

With remaining stock make turkey noodle vegetable soup. Rather than noodles you could make turkey vegetable soup with beans or lentils.
 
You still have so much good eating ahead of you!

 

[Winchester]

Well, here's a confession......back in 2012, everybody came to our house for Thanksgiving dinner. My sister found a 20-pound turkey in her freezer that was a little over a year old, maybe like 14-15 months. She asked me what we should do and I told her to give it to me; I'd use it for T-Day dinner. She was a little freaked out, but I knew it would be OK. I brined it overnight in the basement (Alton Brown's recipe) and roasted the thing. It was nice and moist, no after taste, no weird taste, no funkiness. She couldn't believe it. After dinner, I cooked down the carcass and got tons of lovely turkey stock that I threw back into the freezer.

I've had whole chickens for almost a year in the freezer and they've been fine. I don't keep them that long on purpose, but if I don't get to use them up and they're still there, I'm not going to throw them out, not if they're still OK. At the very least, I make soup.