Extension News: November 2010 Archives

Whether you're an expert chef or a first-time cook trying to figure out which way the turkey goes in the pan, UNH Cooperative Extension can answer your turkey and holiday meal-preparation questions.

Our toll-free info line is staffed by trained volunteers who give practical information on all your food and food-safety questions. Call 1-877-398-4769, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Top Turkey Tips

• Buy a quick-read food thermometer, if you don't have one already. You can purchase one in the grocery store when shopping for your holiday meal ingredients.
• Allow 1 pound of turkey per person.
• Buy fresh turkey 1 or 2 days before you plan to cook it. Store it in the refrigerator at 40°F or below until ready to cook. Place the turkey on a pan to catch any meat juices that might leak.
• Thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator (40°F or below). Allow approximately 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 16- to 20-pound turkey will take 4 to 5 days to defrost, so plan ahead. Place it on a tray or in a pan to catch any meat juices that might leak.
• Wash hands, utensils, the sink, and anything else that comes in contact with raw turkey and its juices with soap and water. Keep everything clean to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of harmful bacteria.
• Set your oven temperature no lower than 325°F. Roasting turkey at a temperature lower than 325° can make the turkey unsafe to eat.
• For optimum safety cook your stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the stuffing. The stuffing must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
• Cook your turkey to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. An 18- to 20-pound turkey will take approximately 4 1/4 to 4/1/2 hours to cook.
• Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
• Remember the two-hour rule. Discard any turkey, stuffing, and gravy left out at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
• Divide leftovers into smaller portions and store in small, shallow containers. Cover containers, label, date, and refrigerate or freeze.
• Use refrigerated turkey and stuffing within 3 or 4 days. Use gravy within 2 days. If freezing leftovers, use within 2 to 6 months for best quality.
• Reheat turkey and leftovers to an internal temperature of 165°F. To keep the turkey moist, add a little broth or water and cover.

More turkey tips

Let's Talk Turkey

USDA Poultry Preparation Fact Sheet

The long nights are getting nippy, and homes across New Hampshire have turned up the heat. For many of us, that's meant firing up the woodstove.

Heating with wood makes sense economically for many households in New Hampshire, the nation's second most heavily-forested state (after Maine). But there's a major tradeoff involved when you rely on a woodstove for all or some of your home's winter heat: the woodstove requires much more work and attention than an automatic central heating system does.

To protect you, your family, your neighbors, and your property as you enjoy the warmth of New Hampshire's renewable energy source, brush up on the rules for wood-heat safety.

Visitors can vote for their favorites

If you grow, sell, or simply love poinsettias, you won't want to miss this year's Poinsettia Open House at the UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses on the UNH Campus in Durham, December 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and December 3 and 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

On display: 102 different cultivars from four different breeding companies. You'll see poinsettias in shades of red, pink, white, along with marbled varieties and unusual novelties. The event is open to the general public all three days, and there's no charge to attend.

Thursday, December 2 is the best day for growers and retailers to visit, as UNH Cooperative Extension Greenhouse/Floriculture Specialist Brian Krug will be on hand to answer questions.

"The open house will allow growers to compare differences in shades of colors, growth habits, vigor, and cyathia characteristics among the many different cultivars, instead of relying on catalogs and sales representatives alone to decide what to grow for the 2011 season," says Krug.

Krug will also share results from his research on cold-finishing poinsettias to save on heating costs and using controlled-release fertilizers to reduce costs and nutrient run-off.

Speaking to growers and florists, Krug says, "The more people connected to your business who evaluate the cultivars, the bigger and better your knowledge base becomes. Everyone has a different perspective.

"Growers look at characteristics that affect the plants while in the greenhouse; trucking and delivery staff look at how plants might hold up in the shipping process; sales reps want a plant that they can sell easily. And your customers can vote for the plants they like best and want to see available next year."

Visitors on all three days will be encouraged to vote for their favorites among the new varieties. Thompson School students will also have poinsettias for sale during the Open House and through December 24.

Photo credit: David Goudreault