We are having 18-20 guests for Thanksgiving. Instead of trying to buy and cook a humungous bird, my plan is to cook a breast the day before and then a reasonably sized turkey the day of.

My question is, how to store and reheat the breast for best results. Leave it whole and slice just before re-heating? Slice first and store? And are there any significant downsides to reheating batches in the microwave?

---

Athens, OH

I like your idea of cooking more than one bird instead of going bigger.

Oh, this is exactly the sort of thing sous vide is for - cook at a low temp in a water bath for a long time and then throw it in the oven at the end to put a bit of a sear on it.

Yeah, do you have a way you could slow cook the breast? Then you don't necessarily need to bring the temp down before serving.

---

Quote
mattkime

Yeah, do you have a way you could slow cook the breast? Then you don't necessarily need to bring the temp down before serving.

That's a good thought. I wonder if I can crock pot it?

---

Athens, OH

Toss it covered in the oven for awhile with the whole turkey.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

three day roast - but well worth it

MANNERS!

Cook a 20 something lb. bird in oven . Get an 8qt crock pot can cook a 14lb. minus bird in it . I saw in Walmart the other a roaster that is made like a crockpot . for around $45 . My mom once used one to cook a 24lb. turkey . This issimilarto whammy mom had . Walmart



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2024 06:08PM by srf1957.

We've decided to forgo turkeys for Thanksgiving, but when I was in turkey mode my most successful cook was spatchcocking a large turkey (i.e. cutting it so that it laid out flat) and cooking it on the BBQ while making the stuffing separately on the stove. That way everything cooks way more evenly and no more dried out breast meat.

---

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

You get more meat on a 20 lb bird than three 10 lb birds.

But to do what you say, I would sous vide the breast and then put it in to roast (brown) while the whole bird is resting. Be sure to stick some aromatics in the sous vide bag to give the meat flavor

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Quote
srf1957
Cook a 20 something lb. bird in oven . Get an 8qt crock pot can cook a 14lb. minus bird in it . I saw in Walmart the other a roaster that is made like a crockpot . for around $45 . My mom once used one to cook a 24lb. turkey .

My sister-in-law got one of those and we use it every year (we switch hosting every year).

It is great because it frees up the oven for keeping things warm and cooking the other dishes.

Doesn't brown the bird, but you can do that as a final step in the oven or with a torch. It doesn't matter to me because I carve the bird up before serving rather than do the Norman Rockwell presentation.

How about Indian turkey tikka masala? Think Different!

---

Quote
d4
How about Indian turkey tikka masala? Think Different!

that looks great! Would very much welcome a switch to a different flavor palate than the traditional Thanksgiving fare. But I get overruled

Yes! That's what I do.

Here's just one of many recipes for example-
[www.wholesomeyum.com]

Check around for method tweaks as needed.

On low didn't work for me- undercooked. I now do on high for 4-5 hours.

Quote
archipirata

That's a good thought. I wonder if I can crock pot it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2024 07:55AM by mspace.

We roast one bird in an electric roaster, and fry another bird in peanut oil outside. Works great.

You could always make it real easy, and go the canned turkey chili route; then the conundrum would just be which brand(s) to choose....




          
==  ==  ==  ==  ==  

Quote
Buzz
You could always make it real easy, and go the canned turkey chili route; then the conundrum would just be which brand(s) to choose....




          
==  ==  ==  ==  ==  

sorry buzz but

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

How about Indian turkey tikka masala?


That would be something to try on a day.

I'm all about traditional Thanksgiving, except for carving at the table.

I believe that's overrated.

Barbecuing turkey is consistently far and away the best turkey I've ever had, and a whole lot safer than frying in oil.

Dennison's chili is pretty poor, but Stagg chili is great.

I still don't care for substituting beef with turkey, though turkey is my favorite meat dish.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

Quote
RAMd®d
...and a whole lot safer than frying in oil.

The "secret" to safely deep frying a turkey (and I'm surprised I don't see this tip more often) is to turn the burner OFF before lowering the turkey into the oil, then back on once everything is settled. No flame, no ignition. Sure, you could still boil over the oil after you turn the burner back on, but with a properly filled and watched pot, that shouldn't happen.