Thanksgiving is a time where my family enjoys a meal that celebrates our pride as Americans, as well as our Latino heritage. With a family of chefs the only thing that is difficult is deciding who gets to make what dish. 

Since the majority of people choose to eat Thanksgiving dinner at home, Thanksgiving still remains the single largest holiday of the year for grocery stores.

Nonetheless, more and more people are choosing to dine out on Thanksgiving Day, and even more are enjoying the convenience of having one or more dishes prepared outside the home. 

Some interesting facts:

• 53% of Americans supplement their Thanksgiving meals with food prepared away from home (...up from 34% in 1999).
• Younger adults are more likely to use restaurant takeout items as part of their Thanksgiving dinner at home.
• 11% of Americans had their Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in 2003.
• Those living in smaller households and households without children are more likely to dine out on Thanksgiving. 
• Males are more likely than females to eat at a restaurant on Thanksgiving.
• A growing number of restaurants are officially closed on Thanksgiving Day, but they still offer takeout options.

 A couple of my turkey secrets that you can use at home or in your business:

How much turkey?

WEIGHT                      # OF PORTIONS
8 – 12 lbs.                     8 to 10
12 – 16 lbs.                   10 to 14
16 – 24 lbs                    14 to 20
24 – 28 lbs.                   20 to 24

Turkey Thawing Timetable

TURKEY WEIGHT            IN REFRIGERATOR      IN COLD WATER (change water every 30 min.)
8 – 12 lbs.                       1 – 2 days                    4 – 6 hours
12 – 16 lbs.                      2 – 3 days                   6 – 9 hours
16 – 20 lbs.                      3 – 4 days                   9 – 11 hours
20 – 24 lbs.                      4 – 5 days                  11 – 12 hours

Turkey Roasting Timetable (approx. times at 325 degrees F)

TURKEY WEIGHT            UNSTUFFED            STUFFED
8 – 12 lbs.                       2 - 3 hours                 3 – 4 hours
12 – 16 lbs.                     3 – 4 hours                3 - 5 hours
16 – 20 lbs.                     4 – 5 hours                4 - 5 hours
20 – 24 lbs.                     4 - 6 hours                 5 – 6 hours
24 – 28 lbs.                     5 - 7 hours                 5 - 7 hours

Cooking Tips

• Don't baste your turkey while it is roasting; the baste doesn't penetrate the skin or the turkey. Additionally, opening the oven to baste the turkey drops the oven temperature, which lengthens roasting time
• Brush turkey with vegetable oil, melted butter or margarine to prevent drying
• Cover turkey loosely with a tent of aluminum foil to prevent splattering. For additional browning, uncover turkey for the last half hour of roasting
• The turkey is cooked when the meat thermometer reads 180 to 185 degrees F at the thigh, or 170 to 175 degrees F at the breast
• For easy slicing, let turkey stand 20 minutes after removing from oven

Storage & Handling Tips

• Remove stuffing from roasted turkey after 20 minutes' standing time
• Don't leave cooked turkey or stuffing at room temperature more than 2 hours
• Cut all meat from the bones before storing
• Refrigerate leftovers as soon as the meal is over
• Cooked poultry may be kept refrigerated for 3 to 4 days in a covered container
• Stuffing and gravy should be used within 1 to 2 days 

TURKEY COOKING TIPS

¿Cuánto pavo necesita?

PESO                            PORCIONES
8 – 12 lbs                       8 a 10
12 – 16 lbs                    10 a 14
16 – 24 lbs                    14 a 20
24 – 28 lbs                    20 a 24

Tiempo necesario para descongelar el pavo

PESO DEL PAVO        EN EL REFRIGERADOR  EN AGUA FRÍA (cambiar el agua cada 30 min.)
8 – 12 lbs                    1 – 2 días                        4 – 6 horas
12 – 16 lbs                  2 – 3 días                        6 – 9 horas
16 – 20 lbs                  3 – 4 días                        9 – 11 horas
20 – 24 lbs                  4 – 5 días                       11 – 12 horas

Tiempo necesario para asar el pavo (tiempos aprox. a 325º F)

PESO DEL PAVO        SIN RELLENO           CON RELLENO
8 – 12 lbs                     2 - 3 horas                 3 – 4 horas
12 – 16 lbs                    3 – 4 horas                3 – 5 horas
16 – 20 lbs                    4 – 5 horas                4 – 5 horas
20 – 24 lbs                    4 - 6 horas                 5 – 6 horas
24 – 28 lbs                    5 - 7 horas                 5 – 7 horas

Consejos para la cocción

• No rocíe el pavo con jugo mientras se esté asando ya que el líquido no penetrará la piel del pavo. Además, al abrir la puerta del horno para rociarlo con el jugo, la temperatura del horno disminuye, lo que significa que tiene que aumentar el tiempo de cocción.
•  Para evitar que el pavo se seque, use una brocha o pincel para recubrirlo con aceite vegetal, mantequilla derretida o margarina.
• Cubra el pavo con una lámina de aluminio para evitar salpicaduras en el horno. Si quiere que el pavo quede bien dorado, retire la lámina de aluminio media hora antes de sacar el pavo del horno
• El pavo está totalmente cocinado cuando el termómetro para carnes marca entre 180º F y 185º F en la pierna, o entre 170º F y 175º F en la pechuga
• Para que le sea más fácil rebanar el pavo, déjelo reposar por 20 minutos después de que lo haya sacado del horno

Consejos e higiene en el manejo y guardado del pavo

• Saque el relleno del pavo asado 20 minutos después de retirarlo del horno
• No deje trozos de pavo asado o relleno a temperatura ambiente por más de 2 horas
• Desprenda toda la carne de los huesos antes de guardarla
• Guarde los restos en el refrigerador una vez terminada la cena, lo antes posible
•  Las aves cocinadas pueden guardarse durante 3 ó 4 días en el refrigerador, en un recipiente con tapa
• El relleno y la salsa hecha con el jugo del pavo deben consumirse durante los primeros 2 días

Chef LaLa
Contributing Editor, Comida News