Cooking your 1st turkey due to advice against gatherings? Foster Farms has your back
Foster Farms expects more questions than usual about how to cook its Thanksgiving turkeys this year.
Thursday’s gatherings will involve only members of the same household, if people follow the experts’ advice on slowing COVID-19.
So someone has to step up for a task normally handled by Grandma at the oven or Uncle Bob at the deep fryer. And that someone might need advice on the spot from Foster Farms, which processes all of its turkeys in Turlock.
The company for years has offered Thanksgiving help by phone and online. In 2020, it is prepared for a new set of chefs handling a downsized feast.
The hotline is 1-800-255-7227. It will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. Cooks also can find help at www.fosterfarms.com.
Turkeys are tricky for a few reasons: They weigh more than most other things that go in your oven. They have legs and wings and skin flaps that must be arranged just so. And they can give you salmonella if not cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
You might not need a whole turkey
The advice includes how to brine, stuff, roast and carve a whole turkey. Foster Farms suggests less challenging alternatives (none of which involves going vegan for the day).
The company sells turkey breasts, thighs and other parts that can be cooked with less fuss than the whole bird.
“This year, Foster Farms is offering an easy-to-heat-and-serve turkey roast, which is a perfect choice for home cooks who want both white and dark meat without the need to prepare an entire bird,” said Ira Brill, vice president of communications.
The company is part of an industry trend toward smaller Thanksgiving turkeys in 2020, Brill said. In normal times, about 70% of Foster Farms turkeys are about 18 pounds. Retailer demand has risen 10% for those between 8 and 14 pounds. The largest weigh about 24 pounds.
Keep gatherings small and brief
Foster Farms joined with pandemic experts in offering general advice for a safe holiday: Wear masks when not eating. Limit the gathering to two hours. Enjoy the feast outdoors (Modesto will have a high of 61 on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service).
Several leaders in Stanislaus County sent the same message in a story and video in The Modesto Bee.
First-time turkey chefs also should heed the advice every year about salmonella and other food-borne diseases:
- Don’t rinse the raw turkey, which only sprays pathogens onto the counter.
- Use a meat thermometer, not guesswork, to check the cooked bird’s temperature.
- Thoroughly wash hands, utensils and anything else that comes in contact with raw meat.
The pandemic inspired Foster Farms to increase its turkey donations by 60% this year. It gave about 8,000 birds to eight food banks in California, Oregon and Washington. All three states have chicken plants that are part of the Livingston-based business.
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
