KitchenSavvy

How Long will Leftover Turkey Keep in the Fridge?

We roasted a fresh turkey un-stuffed on Thanksgiving and the left-over pieces have been stored in the refrigerator in it's own container.  How long is too long to safely consume the left-over turkey?  Thank you.

--Betty

In our house, most of the leftover turkey is consumed for late night snacks or lunch the next day as Turkey Buns.  In fact, I have been known to say the only reason to roast a turkey for supper is to have leftovers for turkey buns.  Still, there is alway some leftover for turkey with gravy, tetrazzini or some other dish.

The general rule for meat is that it will safely keep for about three days, provided that:

• the meat was thoroughly cooked;
• it was not left in the "danger zone" temperatures of between 140°F (60°C) and 40°F (4°C) for more than two hours; and
• the refrigerator is kept below 40°F (4°C).

If any of the above is not done, then the storage time will be reduced, and the risk of food-borne illness greatly increased.

For turkey and chicken, the meat must be cooked to at least 165°F (74°C) throughout, although you likely want to cook the dark meat to closer to 180°F (82°C) for the best results.  If the turkey had been stuffed, then the stuffing should be completely removed from the bird and refrigerated separately.  Because of the extra moisture in stuffing, it will only keep for one or at most two days.  As much as possible, the meat should be stored in large pieces.  Most food safety experts recommend taking all of the meat off of the bones before refrigerating.  The carcass can be discarded of used to make stock or soup.

Reheat the leftover turkey to at least 165°F (74°C), preferably in gravy, or some other sauce, before serving.

To learn more about how long food can be left out before refrigeration and the danger zone, read How Long Can Cooked Food Be Left Out.

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© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Smoke Point

I recently heard a TV chef say that she prefers a certain kind of oil because it has a high smoke point.  What is a smoke point, and why does it matter?

--Sean

The smoke point of any oil or fat is the temperature at which it begins to smoke.  This is  important because at or near the smoke point, the oil begins to also undergo chemical breakdown.  The byproducts of this breakdown can ruin the taste of the food being prepared.  Also, at this temperature there is greater risk that the fumes given off could igniting, causing a fire.

Oils with a higher smoke point will withstand higher temperatures for longer periods of time without degrading as quickly.  Chefs prefer certain oils like peanut oil for deep frying because of their high smoke point,  and neutral color and flavor.

According to The New Professional Chef, Sixth Edition from the Culinary Institute Of America the smoke points for some common oils are:

	Smoke Point
Oil or Fat	°F	°C
Butter, whole	300	150
Butter, clarified	300	150
Corn Oil	350	175
Lard	375	190
Olive Oil	375	190
Peanut Oil	440	225
Safflower Oil	510	265
Vegetable Shortening	325	165
Sunflower Oil	440	225

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

What is a Bouquet Garni?

In soup recipes, I keep seeing mention of a bouquet garni.  What is it?

--Gaylene

A bouquet garni (pronounced boo-KAY gar-NEE)  is a bunch of fresh herbs used to add flavor to stocks, soups and sauces.  Although there is no single common recipe, typically it will contain parsley, bay leaf and thyme.  Depending on what is being made, it may include other herbs.  The bouquet garni is intended to be removed from the liquid after sufficient cooking.

If only fresh herbs are being used, they may be wound with string to keep them together, or they may be wrapped in cheesecloth tied with string.  In either case, leave enough string to knot around the handle of your pot to make fishing the packet out easier, by just lifting on the string.  You can also use a tea infuser to hold the herbs.

If you are using cheesecloth or a tea infuser, then other items like whole cloves, peppercorns or garlic cloves can be included in the package.  You can also include dried herbs, provided they are not powdered.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Let Them Eat Cake

One of the most common questions I get has to do with cake recipes or variations on cake recipes.  Some examples of the questions I receive are:

- What is the correct ratio of baking powder to baking soda for a cake?
- How much baking soda should I use per cup of buttermilk or sour cream?
- Should I use baking powder or baking soda?

One of these I have answered already.  All other things being equal, the amount of baking soda to use per cup of buttermilk is about ½ teaspoon.   All of these questions, however, are related.

For a simple cake recipe, you want to use about 1 to 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking powder for each cup of flour.  That is the starting point.  Now, suppose you use buttermilk in place of milk in the recipe.  If the recipe calls for ½ cup of milk, which you replace with ½ cup of buttermilk, then you need ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to react with the acidity of the buttermilk.

If you just add the baking soda to the recipe, then your cake may have too much leavening, which may make it rise too much, split, or even fall.

That means you need to reduce the baking powder by the equivalent amount of leavening.  In Baking Soda vs Baking Powder, I  noted that the formula for equivalence is 1 teaspoon of baking powder can be replaced with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar, with ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch.  In this case, the cream of tartar is used to provide the acidity to react with the baking soda.  The cornstarch is added simply to make up the same volume and has no real role in the mixture.

So, back to the cake recipe, if you replace ½ cup of milk with the same volume of buttermilk, you need to replace 1 teaspoon of the baking powder with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda.  If the recipe only uses 1 teaspoon of baking powder, you will replace it all and the recipe only needs baking soda.  If it uses more, then you have to use both baking soda and baking powder.

Now, suppose you are making a chocolate cake that uses cocoa powder.   If you are using cocoa powder that is not "dutched", it is acidic, so you need to replace more of the baking powder with baking soda.  If you don't, the cake may turn out a light reddish brown color.  Cocoa powder that is dutched has an alkaline ingredient added to neutralize the acidity and darken the color, so the amounts of baking soda and baking powder do not need to be adjusted to compensate.

If, however, you were making a ginger cake, then you would need to replace baking powder with baking soda, since the molasses used in ginger cakes is acidic.  The exact amount you would need to replace would depend on whether you are using fancy or cooking molasses in the recipe, as they vary in their acidity.

Now, just to make things more complicated, eggs are a natural leavener.  If they make up the largest proportion of the liquid in a recipe, then it is entirely possible that you don't need to use baking soda or baking powder unless, of course, you are adding an acidic ingredient that needs to be counteracted.

All of this changes again if you live someplace where altitude can affect your result.

In short, creating a recipe from scratch can be a difficult problem involving a detailed understanding of the chemistry of food and a lot of trial and error.  The easiest approach is to look in cookbooks for recipes that come close to what you are attempting, and then adapt them by making small changes.  If you want to make a coffee cake, look for similar coffee cake recipes as a starter.  If you are planning something with the consistency of a pound cake, start from there.  In any case, plan to try a few times before you get the result you are looking for.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

How Long Can Cooked Food Be Left Out

Please let me know how long you can leave freshly cooked food out at room temperature, i.e. turkey, roast beef.  I was told by a friend that you must either freeze or refrigerate immediately because bacteria builds up immediately.

--Annette

The general rule of thumb is that the time the food spends between 140°F (60°C) and 40°F (4°C) should be no longer than two hours, total.  Within this temperature range, which is often called the danger zone, bacteria can multiply at a very fast rate, doubling in number about every 20 minutes.

Because the turkey, roast, chicken or whatever, comes out of a significantly hotter environment, there is a bit of time at the start where the food is still warmer than the danger zone.  On the other hand, the two hours is not the amount of time before you put the food into the refrigerator or freezer, but rather the total time it spends in the danger zone, since the food may still be warmer than 40°F (4°C) when you put it away.

In fact, your friend may be creating a different risk all together if they are putting the food into the fridge or freezer immediately.  If it is too warm, heat from the food being put away may raise the temperature within the fridge or freezer high enough to increase bacterial growth on food that is already there.  This is especially true for anything that is either touching or just close to the food that was just put in, as it will be the most likely to get warmed up.  This lesson I know from personal experience -- and not a fun one!

The best approach is to leave the food covered with foil or plastic on the counter until it has cooled down until it is just warm to the touch and then put it away.  In practical terms, this means you can probably eat supper while the food is cooling down.  If you enjoy long slow meals and sit at the table for hours on end, put the food away between courses.

Sometimes it may be necessary to speed up cooling in order to avoid having food sit in the danger zone too long.  When making larger batches of soup, for example, I will frequently place the stockpot full of soup into my kitchen sink and run cold water around it.  To speed things up even further, I keep a couple of large plastic pop bottles filled with water in the freezer and may drop one or both of them into the surrounding water bath.  If not, I drain and refill the sink as soon as the surrounding water gets warm.

Improper cooling of food is the cause of about 30% of all food borne illness and not leaving food at temperatures within the danger zone for longer than two hours is a key food safety skill.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Coating a Spoon

What does it mean when a recipe says to cook something until it is "thick enough to coat a spoon"?

--Angie

The term to "coat a spoon" refers to a simple test to determine when a sauce or custard has thickened enough to use.  As the liquid thickens, it becomes less and less runny.  At some point, if you dip a spoon into the liquid, it will cling to the spoon rather than run off.  The standard technique is to run your finger through the sauce on the back of the spoon.  If a fairly straight line of exposed metal or wood, depending on the spoon, remains visible then the product has thickened to the desired degree.  If the liquid flows back across the line, then it needs to be cooked some more.

Remember when making custards to continue to stir the product off heat for a while once it is done to avoid having the liquid at the bottom become over-cooked from the residual heat in the pan.

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Storing Fresh Herbs

Frequently on weekends, I'll go to the local farmers market.  One of the things I like to get is fresh herbs like Italian parsley, basil, tarragon, and so on.  What is the best way to store them, once I get them home.

--Lina

If the herbs are sold in closed plastic bags, you want to let them breathe as soon as possible.  The major enemies of fresh herbs and other greens are lack of air and drops of water on the leaves.   Herbs need moisture to avoid wilting, but the leaves shouldn't be wet.

Once out of the bag, you can give them a quick rinse, if you would like, but be sure to blot any water off of the leaves with a clean towel, taking care not to crush the leaves.  For the same reason, I wouldn't recommend drying them in a salad spinner, which can damage the leaves and encourage spoilage.

After that, you have three choices.  For short term storage, you can put the herbs back into a plastic bag, but without closing it, and keep them in the vegetable crisper for a few days.  If you want, poke a few holes in the bag (before putting the herbs in!) to allow more air circulation.  To keep them for a bit longer, wrap them loosely in paper towel that has just been dampened lightly by spritzing it with a mister.  The tower should be damp, not soggy.  Place in an open plastic bag and keep in the crisper.  The added moisture will help prolong the storage life.

Finally, you can stand stems of parsley or other herbs in a container of water.  Only the stems should be submerged, not the leaves.  Place a large plastic bag loosely over the the container, allowing it to be open on the bottom so that air can circulate.  Stored like this, the herbs will stay fresh the longest.

If you are buying herbs from the supermarket, where they come in those rigid plastic containers with air holes, then you can just leave the herbs in the container for a few days, but use them soon.

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Mise

One of the secrets to efficiency in the kitchen, whether professional or home, is a technique which in French is called Mise en Place (pronounced 'MEEZ on Plahs').  In some kitchens, the term is shortened simply to Mise.  The term literally means to put things in their place.  It refers to having things ready before you start cooking.

In the simplest terms, mise is taken to mean having the vegetables properly cut and portioned or collecting together the ingredients to make a meal.  In broader terms, it also means having equipment ready and refers to a certain order in the kitchen.  Things like getting out the appropriate cooking pans, spatulas and other equipment, Pre-heating the oven or having a serving dish chosen before cooking actually starts.  If you are working from a recipe, it might mean having read through the recipe and then having it close by, but not in the way, for reference if you need it.

All of these considerations create a flow to preparing food that reduces your chance of mistakes.  If you are already halfway through making a dish when you realize that the garlic wasn't minced or the milk had to be scalded, then the stage is set for food to burn, or for something else to end up waiting while the dish you are working on catches up.

Mise en Place also means readying yourself -- being prepared mentally and physically for the job at hand; putting aside outside distractions and focusing on the single task of cooking.  For some, mise becomes almost a way of life that turns disorganization into dance, and work into expression.

Even small, familiar dishes can benefit from this sort of planning.  If you aren't doing it already, start making it a habit to plan out all of the aspects of what you are preparing before you actually begin to cook.  Like an athlete who goes over his or her routine before entering the arena, plan the event mentally first.  At a minimum, you will find your kitchen will become a calmer place.  More likely, you will notice that the quality of your cooking improves.

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Resting Pastry Dough

Why do recipes for pastry dough tell you to refrigerate it for a half hour before using?

--Ashlan

There are three reasons for chilling pastry dough before proceeding.  First, and most important, is that during the cutting in of the fat, usually butter or lard,  and mixing of the dough, the fat has had a chance to soften.  If you were to proceed directly from mixing to rolling, you would press the softened fat into the flour granules.  What you want to do is have the fat roll out into flakes between layers of the dough.  Refrigerating the dough cools down the fat and allows it to harden back up.  Once it is hardened, it will roll out into the desired flakes.

During mixing, you are trying to evenly incorporate the water completely into the dough while not mixing so much as to form a lot of glutens.  Glutens are formed by the combination of proteins in flour with water.  They are encouraged and strengthened by mixing, so stirring in the water creates glutens.  Some recipes attempt to minimize this by adding a bit of vinegar or other acid, which inhibits gluten formation.

All of this brings us to the second and third reasons for letting the dough rest.  Resting allows any glutens that were formed to relax, creating a more tender pastry.  At the same time, during resting the water in the dough will spread out, making for more even hydration and therefore a more consistent result.

You should consider the half hour to be a minimum resting period.  Pastry dough can be made up a day or more in advance without loss of quality, provided it is refrigerated until you are ready to use it.

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Baking Soda and Buttermilk

Different recipes give ratios of baking soda to buttermilk that vary by two to one.  Since buttermilk has long been a standardized manufactured product, there should be only one ratio.  Do you know what it is?

--Earl

If the recipe contains no other acidic ingredients, then the ratio should be about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of buttermilk.  I say 'about' because there is a bit of latitude in the ratio before the quality of the final product is affected noticeably.

That said, though, there are a number of other ingredients typically used in baking, such as molasses or un-dutched, natural cocoa, both of which are acidic and will react with baking soda.  If any acidic ingredients are used in the recipe in addition to the buttermilk, then the total amount of soda needs to be increased accordingly.  The exact measure will depend on the ingredient and amount used.  Also, different types of the same ingredient, for example dark molasses vs. fancy molasses, will vary in their acidity and therefore the amount of baking soda that they will react with.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward