Can you eat from the turkey pan

[Suamere]

If you roast a Turkey with potatoes and apples in the pan, can you directly pull those out and eat them when the turkey is done?

Is the answer different for different things? Onions, meat droppings in there, oranges?

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes, you can. Some might be overcooked, depending on how big your turkey is and how long it needs to roast. Or you could add them to the pan about an hour before the turkey is done, or in a separate pan on a different rack if your oven is large enough.

I like to use the meat drippings in the gravy, so I cook vegetables separately.

 

[Suamere]

I love to hear replies (either opinion or objective facts) that match what I already thought, or even thought seemed like common sense.

However, since this involves food safety and my babies, I wonder if you or anybody has some reference of either a document, or some criticised show that says so?

 

[taxlady]

I'm not sure I understand. If you are using cookware that you would be willing to use for cooking, what would be the problem? There's no magic in the turkey that will make the food inedible. If you can safely eat the turkey, you can safely eat the stuff in the pan.

The only problem I can imagine is if there is something wrong with the pan. E.g., it's an enamelled pan with chips that have broken off. Then, possibly more chips will come off into the food.

 

[Suamere]

So many variables. I guarantee good safety experts didn't just observe that cooking beef to a time/temp just meant that all meats and other foods have the same exact requirement, wipe their hands and quit their jobs.

Potatoes soaking in salmonella juice in a pan isn't the same to me as the meat cooking. Granted, it SEEMS like the stuff in the pan would be even More cooked.

However; something spongey soaking up salmonella juice, then insulating it within not-only it's own body, but also submerged in liquid... There are so many variables there that I'm not confident just to assume it's the same as a slightly moist/dry meat above the rim of the pan cooking.

 

[Andy M.]

Safe temperatures would be attained for the food in the pan in the time the turkey reaches dafe temp. Potato internal temp has to reach over 200F to be cooked through. Safe temp for salmonella is anything over 165F.

If you’re hesitant, don’t cook this way.

 

[taxlady]

As Andy wrote, by the time a turkey is cooked, all the other food will have reached safe temperatures. They will reach safe temperatures before a large turkey does. If you are worried that something hasn't reached safe temperatures, get a good quality instant read thermometer and check. Are you cooking an entire turkey? How hot will your oven be? How long do you plan to cook the turkey? I betcha the other food (not including anything, like stuffing, inside the turkey) will be above 165°F within an hour. So, even if some salmonella soaks into the potatoes, they will safe by the time they reach 165°F.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Any foods cooked under a whole, roasted bird will reach safe temperatures throughout the food long before the bird. In fact, many veggies, or external stuffing may dry out and become leathery, or scorched. Sufficient water, or broth must be added to the pan to prevent this. Then, the veggies, or stuffing may be too soggy,. This is why the turkey roastin pan is used for cooking the turkey, and sides are made seperately. If roasting a 3 lb chicken, or cornish he, you can get away with roasting the bird with the sides in th same pan. Another example is raw poultry pieces, on a bed of rice, baked together. The juices from the bird help flavor the rice, and all of it is cooked to 165 degrees F., with the rice actually sitting in boiling water before the bird reaches temp.

In my experience, make the sides in seperate casserole dishes, dutch ovens, and pots and pans. Make a tasty broth from the turkey pan drippings, and a broth from the neck and giblets. Use that to make your gravies and sauces, or to add directly to your cooked sides.

That's my advise.

Oh, and to make sure you have good pan juices, add 2 cups of water to the turkey roasting pan. If yo don't, you will simply have a crusty, sometimes scorched coating on the bottom of the pan. And place your bird on a rack so that it doesn't touch the liquid. Finally, basting does nothong to improve the flavor, or moistness of the turkey. It only slows down the cooking time, and reduces the crispiness of the skin.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Suamere]

Firstly, lol @ Cheif Longwind. Secondly, I take all your points and think I'm general you're right. I do put some extra apple juice and chicken broth in the pan, as well as apples. And like I said, other things too. I'll point out that water boils at 212f, not 165f. But since the oven is at ~350-400, it's possible the pan juices boil. Not positive though.

I always assumed my onions, potatoes, oranges, apples, or whatever probably taste like soggy Turkey. But I don't know because I've never tried. Of course, I haven't tried from what I stuffed INSIDE the turkey either, because that almost certainly isn't safe.

Thanks all for the feedback.

 

[taxlady]

One year at my m-i-l's house, we cooked a turkey and didn't have a rack for the bird. I suggested that we put some vegis in the bottom of the pan to lift the bird and flavour the liquid in the pan. We expected to throw away the carrots, celery, etc. that were cooked under the turkey. When we pulled everything out of the roasting pan, I gave the vegis a taste. Much to my surprise, they were delicious, full of flavour. Yes, they were extremely soft, but we served them along with the other sides. If there had been an immersion blender, I might have pureed those overcooked vegis into the gravy for thickening and extra flavour.

 

[jennyema]

Firstly, lol @ Cheif Longwind. Secondly, I take all your points and think I'm general you're right. I do put some extra apple juice and chicken broth in the pan, as well as apples. And like I said, other things too. I'll point out that water boils at 212f, not 165f. But since the oven is at ~350-400, it's possible the pan juices boil. Not positive though.

I always assumed my onions, potatoes, oranges, apples, or whatever probably taste like soggy Turkey. But I don't know because I've never tried. Of course, I haven't tried from what I stuffed INSIDE the turkey either, because that almost certainly isn't safe.

Thanks all for the feedback.

Im another one that doesnt understand your concern. Anything cooked in the pan is totally safe to eat.

Your oven is set to 350 -400, so the food at the bottom of the pan, including turkey juice, comes to 350-400 degrees pretty quickly. The pan juices dont just boil, they reduce and carmelize. That's called fond and its what makes the best gravy.

The temperature of your apples and onions has nothing to do with the internal temperature of the turkey.

What is stuffed inside the turkey is also safe to eat if its come to a temp of at least 165.

 

[Silversage]

I think its a troll.