At what temperature should sliced turkey, dressing, and sweet potato casserole be warmed?

ChefGam
  • Posted by: ChefGam
  • November 17, 2012
  • 5452 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

SeaJambon November 17, 2012
Both Amanda and SandyLF have good info. For full food safety (which, admittedly, is a different -- and has to be overriding -- concern than "most flavorful" or tastiest), remember to keep food out of the "danger zone" (40 to 140) for other than a brief period (such as the time to eat and serve a meal; if the ambient temp is 90 or higher, that period should in no event exceed an hour). When rewarming, check the internal temp of your food -- with poultry, you will want an internal temp of at least 165 (stick your thermometer in the middle of the thickest piece of meat). The internal temp can be achieved by using a conventional or microwave oven -- the method doesn't matter (except, again, for the tastiness factor) just confirm your internal temp. Don't have a meat thermometer? Go get one. You will use it again and again to test for doneness in meat, and it can be a very reasonable (under $10) investment.
 
SandyLaFleur November 17, 2012
Tricks for rewarmed turkey. Is this a cold turkey that is the meal or leftovers? you don't say. If this is from the store ready to eat, they give you directions.
My experience, is that the food should seem as hot as if you just cooked it. But if you have turkey that you would consider safe to eat cold, you will not be harmed eating it at any temperature, if you eat it right away, and don't make it lukewarm and then leave it sitting.
Turkey is a challenge because once it is cooked it is not juicy enough to rebake it to eat it without losing a lot of its quality and taste.
Here are my hints. Pre-Bake the serving dish empty until it is hot or use a chaffing dish, electric fry pan, turned off ceramic top stove burner. Put the turkey in there with a bit of broth or turkey juices already hot, steam helps warm turkey. Cover with a glass cover or foil. Serve this over the period of half an hour. Do it again if you need more.
I heat the turkey in the microwave, in a microwavable glass bowl with a cover, melt the broth in the bowl first, and microwave the turkey pieces for two minutes at a time until there is steam or spattering, and let it sit a few minutes. Then put it directly on the hot serving plate of the chafing dish. You make this kind of turkey LAST.
My family likes the gravy. I get the gravy extremely hot in a non stick frying pan. I microwave the turkey to tepid/room temperature, and slide the whole plate of turkey on top of the gravy and turn off the burner. This is not a turkey presentation, it is leftovers, I make people go to the buffet or the stove to get this. Don't over cook your turkey. If you do, don't mix it back into the other turkey that has not been reheated. Put it in it's own dish if you want to save it, it can be plunked like this into your post holiday soup.
While I do this, most of my other dishes are sitting hot in their ceramic dishes in the oven. Hot dishes really help on thanksgiving or with leftovers. Set the temp to 200-225, whatever your oven will do, maybe now people have the warming drawer. Electric fry pans, slow cookers, hot plates can all make a difference in serving the food hot. Only heat up amounts that you are going to serve right away, or things that don't mind the heat...stuffing...rice...sweet potatoes/squash.
 
Amanda H. November 17, 2012
Rewarm them at 200 degrees.
 
Amanda H. November 17, 2012
Rewarm them at 200 degrees.
 
Recommended by Food52