By the beginning of December, what was once a culinary source of pride is now a lurking carcass taking over valuable fridge space.
I'm looking at you, Mr. Gobble-gobble (Ms. Gobble-gobble??). I was so proud when you emerged from my oven--perfectly brown, juicy and smelling oh-so-wonderful.
Basking in kudos from my family: "I'd like to thank D'Artagnan for providing such a lovely bird, without whom this dinner would not be possible; Alton Brown for his tireless devotion to getting recipes done right; to the Pilgrims for leaving us the Thanksgiving legacy".
But now what? 14 lbs is a lot of bird, and I sent half home with my mother. I've already eaten turkey sandwiches, and 2 full turkey dinners. How long can I keep this thing anyway???
There are numerous ways to use up that turkey. Turkey posole, anyone? That old standby, turkey soup?
But use it up you must. Food safety experts suggest 3 days as a max for leftover meats, you can also portion it out and freeze for up to 6 months. I push the the envelope, as long as it's been kept good and cold, I use the remains of the bird for a week. If you make stock and keep that for more than 2 days, be sure to bring it to a boil for 2 minutes before using it. Or, do what I do, and freeze the stock and thaw as you need it.
If that turkey was sitting out for more than 2 hours with stuffing in it, however, you may just want to show that bird the door.
TN6d5S
-- Posted by: Qvctodyt at July 14, 2009 1:27 PM