Читать книгу Talk Turkey to Me - Renee S. Ferguson - Страница 19

Check the thawing guide. Whom are you going to trust, someone who’s thawed scores of turkeys or a person who’s probably never cooked a turkey in his life? A solid block of frozen meat takes a long time to thaw. Give yourself extra time to make certain the process is complete.

Some common-sense rules

•Do not thaw at room temperature, as this will cause bacterial growth to increase on the surface of the turkey before the inside is fully thawed.

•Allow ample time for the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator; use the thawing guide.

Urban legend?

Scientists at NASA have developed a gun built specifically to launch dead turkeys at the windshields of airliners, military jets, and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidence of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high-speed trains. Arrangements were made. When the gun was fired, however, the engineers stood in shock as the turkey hurtled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashing it to smithereens, crashed through the control console, snapped the engineer’s backrest in two, and became embedded in the back wall of the cab.

The horrified Britons sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the design of the windshield, and begged the American scientists for suggestions.

NASA’s response was just one sentence: “Thaw the bird.”

Source: Numerous Web sites.

•Keep the turkey in its original wrapper to prevent drying of the skin and to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

•It makes no sense to thaw a turkey in the microwave (even though this method of thawing is approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture). The configuration of a turkey, with large, thick areas and smaller, thin areas, leads to uneven thawing. Parts of the bird will begin to cook before other parts are thawed. This is not the best option.

•Once the turkey is thawed, use it within 4 days.

One week before the big day, a procrastinator tried to mend the error of her ways only to run into trouble.