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CNN Live At Daybreak
Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Helping Cooks in Crisis
Aired November 27, 2002 - 06:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Time to talk turkey again. Mary Clingman joining us now from the nerve center of Turkey Troubles, the Butterball Phone Center in suburban Chicago.
Hi, Mary, how are you?
MARY CLINGMAN, DIRECTOR, BUTTERBALL TURKEY TALK-LINE: Well we're just doing great today, you know.
CALLAWAY: Got lots of -- we have lots of e-mail for you. I'm going to get right to it because we don't have a lot of time.
CLINGMAN: Great.
CALLAWAY: Here's one from a guy named Robert in Seattle. He wants to know how to keep the turkey from cross contaminating when he opens the wrapper of the properly thawed bird because the water spills out on everything. What is the best way to do that, in the sink?
CLINGMAN: Yes, actually do it in the sink and have paper towels there, you know, as well so you really don't even have to wash the turkey. So when you just take...
CALLAWAY: Oh really?
CLINGMAN: Yes. Take it out of the wrapper. The cleaning has already been done for you. So take it out of the wrapper, just dry it off with paper towels inside the cavity and out and you're ready to -- you know get it ready for the oven so. Yes, and then just make sure that you wash your hands and the counter and you're going to be just fine.
CALLAWAY: Yes, and the sink, because you don't know what may fall in that sink again.
CLINGMAN: That's right.
CALLAWAY: Here's one from Wanda. How do you warm up a fully cooked turkey to retain the flavor and the juices? I know a lot of people cook their turkey a little bit ahead, they want to warm it up, they want it to stay brown and juicy. How do you do that?
CLINGMAN: What we recommend, cut it off the bone. In other words, cook the turkey, cut it off of the bone about a half an hour after it's cooked that way you can, you know, get it all cold quickly which is a good food safety rule. And then when you're going to reheat it, do it in the microwave, 70 percent power, or in the oven, closed container with a little moisture on the slices, perfect.
CALLAWAY: All right. Now we got to go through this because most of the questions have been about thawing time and cooking time, about weight and how you decide that and figure it out if a lot of people cut through that wrapper and don't read it. What is the best advice on that?
CLINGMAN: That's right. You want to allow about one half hour per pound in cold water. Now if you don't have that much time to do it for Thanksgiving, feel free to throw it in the oven, even a little bit partially frozen, that's just going to be fine. But use your meat thermometer, and this is our favorite gadget because the time is going to be off a little bit if you start with a partially frozen bird. So then just allow a little bit more time, maybe half an hour to an hour, but use your meat thermometer, 180 in the thigh when you'll know the bird is done.
CALLAWAY: Oh, OK. Mary, what's the phone number?
CLINGMAN: 1-800-BUTTERBALL, and we're going to be here all day long. Call us, we'll be happy to help you.
CALLAWAY: Hey, I've called you before, Mary. Thank you very much.
CLINGMAN: Wonderful.
CALLAWAY: That's Mary Clingman for the Butterball Center. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 27, 2002 - 06:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Time to talk turkey again. Mary Clingman joining us now from the nerve center of Turkey Troubles, the Butterball Phone Center in suburban Chicago.
Hi, Mary, how are you?
MARY CLINGMAN, DIRECTOR, BUTTERBALL TURKEY TALK-LINE: Well we're just doing great today, you know.
CALLAWAY: Got lots of -- we have lots of e-mail for you. I'm going to get right to it because we don't have a lot of time.
CLINGMAN: Great.
CALLAWAY: Here's one from a guy named Robert in Seattle. He wants to know how to keep the turkey from cross contaminating when he opens the wrapper of the properly thawed bird because the water spills out on everything. What is the best way to do that, in the sink?
CLINGMAN: Yes, actually do it in the sink and have paper towels there, you know, as well so you really don't even have to wash the turkey. So when you just take...
CALLAWAY: Oh really?
CLINGMAN: Yes. Take it out of the wrapper. The cleaning has already been done for you. So take it out of the wrapper, just dry it off with paper towels inside the cavity and out and you're ready to -- you know get it ready for the oven so. Yes, and then just make sure that you wash your hands and the counter and you're going to be just fine.
CALLAWAY: Yes, and the sink, because you don't know what may fall in that sink again.
CLINGMAN: That's right.
CALLAWAY: Here's one from Wanda. How do you warm up a fully cooked turkey to retain the flavor and the juices? I know a lot of people cook their turkey a little bit ahead, they want to warm it up, they want it to stay brown and juicy. How do you do that?
CLINGMAN: What we recommend, cut it off the bone. In other words, cook the turkey, cut it off of the bone about a half an hour after it's cooked that way you can, you know, get it all cold quickly which is a good food safety rule. And then when you're going to reheat it, do it in the microwave, 70 percent power, or in the oven, closed container with a little moisture on the slices, perfect.
CALLAWAY: All right. Now we got to go through this because most of the questions have been about thawing time and cooking time, about weight and how you decide that and figure it out if a lot of people cut through that wrapper and don't read it. What is the best advice on that?
CLINGMAN: That's right. You want to allow about one half hour per pound in cold water. Now if you don't have that much time to do it for Thanksgiving, feel free to throw it in the oven, even a little bit partially frozen, that's just going to be fine. But use your meat thermometer, and this is our favorite gadget because the time is going to be off a little bit if you start with a partially frozen bird. So then just allow a little bit more time, maybe half an hour to an hour, but use your meat thermometer, 180 in the thigh when you'll know the bird is done.
CALLAWAY: Oh, OK. Mary, what's the phone number?
CLINGMAN: 1-800-BUTTERBALL, and we're going to be here all day long. Call us, we'll be happy to help you.
CALLAWAY: Hey, I've called you before, Mary. Thank you very much.
CLINGMAN: Wonderful.
CALLAWAY: That's Mary Clingman for the Butterball Center. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
