OT: I cooked a FROZEN turkey!!!

I posted yesterday (Thanksgiving Day) that I intended to cook a whole frozen turkey in my NuWave oven. I was a bit skeptical, I have to admit, but I have had great success with this kitchen appliance over the last year. Someone asked me to post the results, so here they are....

Well, the results were spectacular! I have to say that this was the BEST turkey I have ever cooked -- moist throughout and done to perfection.

I did check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer (just right!), and we're not feeling any ill effects today. I ate too much, though.

The turkey was 11.05 pounds, and it took 3 hours and 10 minutes. Turkey cooking time is 15-17 minutes per pound -- from frozen, mind you! I cooked on high for the first 90 minutes, breast side down, and then turned it over for the remaining time. Giblets were removed when turned. I shielded some parts with foil after a while to prevent over-browning.

I purchased the NuWave oven about a year ago. I have cooked many different things in it. Only one was a bust (a casserole that was too deep). It works great for roasts, whole chicken and salmon -- frozen or fresh. Makes good roast veggies too. It cooks by using conduction, convection, and far infrared. The model with the extender ring is needed to cook a turkey (up to 15 pounds, and less than 13 inches long). I do use the 2" rack and included bonus pan for some things, and all the NuWaves come with a rack that raises the food 1" and 4". I rarely use my regular oven anymore. This has become my favorite kitchen appliance, and I use it most days of the week, so the cost has been worth it. There is no pre-heating required, which is nice, and it cooks food faster than a conventional oven.

Anyway, I hope someone finds this interesting. I am not a spokesperson for the manufacturer, but perhaps I should be. Love it!

~ DreamOn

If I had seen an infomercial claiming to cook a frozen turkey in record time with competitive results, I would have dismissed it as beyond hype, even false advertising. Glad to hear a "personal" report. I am enlightened.
Kathy

Wow! That's fast and it looks delicious!

kteague wrote:If I had seen an infomercial claiming to cook a frozen turkey in record time with competitive results, I would have dismissed it as beyond hype, even false advertising. Glad to hear a "personal" report. I am enlightened.
Kathy

It's funny you'd mention that, Kathy. The first time I saw this gadget was on a late-night infomercial (insomnia, you know)! I thought, "Ya, right!" I don't think I've ever purchased anything I've seen on an infomercial, and I was extremely skeptical. But it stayed on my mind for some reason. I thought about it for a while and then went to various websites to research user experiences, gathered different recipes, and price-shopped. It really has lived up to its claims! The only thing it doesn't do well is baking pastries and cakes. It can be done with some modification, but results aren't usually as good as conventional oven baking.

~ DreamOn

Awesome Bird! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Caloric used to make (and might still make) a combination microwave/gas convection oven that would cook a turkey to perfection in 55 minutes. Don't know if it was fresh or frozen.

America's Test kitchen (PBS) did a show a few years back about cooking the perfect turkey. One important step was brining. Another step, If i remember correctly, was placing butter between the skin and the flesh.

Yes you can cook from frozen with a nu-wave! I love mine..


I am still alive for those who wondered where I gone..

My wife cooked our first turkey, when I was In the Military. She complained that they shorted us the neck and organs, after cooking we found them, still wrapped up inside the bird. It tasted like burn't newspaper, we ate the whole thing as money was tight on E2 pay, in California 1965. Sometimes we lived on peanut butter, and bread and of course popcorn, don't think the military don't suffer protecting you. Jim

Even being drafted, and preparing to head to Viet Nam, we still gave thanks, and still do.

When I first read your title- I quipped, "What about the giblets?" (I couldn't imagine! Even from a family heritage of the "insides of animals". I remember you youngest daughter asking me why so many holidays are somehow related to eating the insides of animals).

I will take your word on it- and gain a bit of encouragement to give one a whirl when I get a chance.

That same youngest daughter is now married to a deployed (Iraq) Army battery commander. For many of the families in his battery, this is their first deployment- so she invited all the families still on poste to a Thanksgiving Dinner. Some newly arrived soldiers and their families arrived only a couple days before Thanksgiving and were in temporary housing & a bit of uncertainty. Not in their battery, but of course! they were invited (throw an extra turkey in a turkey bag while she hand-bastes the "star of the show").

Following a wonderful meal; ham, regional favorites and other items added to the feast by the attendees, one of the soldiers walks up to my daughter and says, "Ma'am, that is the most wonderful turkey I have ever had in my entire life!" To which my daughter insisted, "Won't you try (* insert star attraction bird here*), and then tell me which one is best." Obligingly, the new soldier tasted from the beautiful "center-piece, "Ma'am, that other bird is still the best turkey I have ever tasted in my life!" (She learned how to cook a turkey, breast-side down, in a turkey bag- from her mom-- but it took a southern gentleman to teach her what her dad said so many years earlier, "Mom makes the world's best turkey!")

The photos are beautiful- and I am willing to attend a turkey-bake-off at the call of the chair. Happy Thanksgiving! And I enjoyed your story. (3 1/2 hours from frozen---- that is amazing!)

letchworth

letchworth wrote:When I first read your title- I quipped, "What about the giblets?" (I couldn't imagine! Even from a family heritage of the "insides of animals". I remember you youngest daughter asking me why so many holidays are somehow related to eating the insides of animals).

I will take your word on it- and gain a bit of encouragement to give one a whirl when I get a chance.

That same youngest daughter is now married to a deployed (Iraq) Army battery commander. For many of the families in his battery, this is their first deployment- so she invited all the families still on poste to a Thanksgiving Dinner. Some newly arrived soldiers and their families arrived only a couple days before Thanksgiving and were in temporary housing & a bit of uncertainty. Not in their battery, but of course! they were invited (throw an extra turkey in a turkey bag while she hand-bastes the "star of the show").

Following a wonderful meal; ham, regional favorites and other items added to the feast by the attendees, one of the soldiers walks up to my daughter and says, "Ma'am, that is the most wonderful turkey I have ever had in my entire life!" To which my daughter insisted, "Won't you try (* insert star attraction bird here*), and then tell me which one is best." Obligingly, the new soldier tasted from the beautiful "center-piece, "Ma'am, that other bird is still the best turkey I have ever tasted in my life!" (She learned how to cook a turkey, breast-side down, in a turkey bag- from her mom-- but it took a southern gentleman to teach her what her dad said so many years earlier, "Mom makes the world's best turkey!")

The photos are beautiful- and I am willing to attend a turkey-bake-off at the call of the chair. Happy Thanksgiving! And I enjoyed your story. (3 1/2 hours from frozen---- that is amazing!)

letchworth

Thanks for sharing this story. You have raised a very thoughtful and giving daughter, and I'm sure those families will remember this special Thanksgiving dinner.

My mother was an outstanding cook, but I can't say I inherited any of her "cooking genes" -- they bypassed me and all went to my sister! This NuWave turkey was so easy that I think anyone could do it. You don't even have to remember to remove the giblets before starting, as so many inexperienced cooks seem to do when they cook their first turkey!

~ DreamOn

I have been thinking about buying one. You may have made have helped me make up my mind!!

Thanks

YawnGirl wrote:I have been thinking about buying one. You may have made have helped me make up my mind!!

Thanks

Yes, buy one YawnGirl! Just try to remember where you bought it from, okay? Don't order two. I know you like to sleep-shop from that other thread!

Seriously though....you would only need the extender ring if you plan to cook something large, like a turkey. That's the only time I've used it. They also offer another, less expensive, NuWave model without the extender ring.

~ DreamOn

DreamOn wrote:

YawnGirl wrote:I have been thinking about buying one. You may have made have helped me make up my mind!!

Thanks

Yes, buy one YawnGirl! Just try to remember where you bought it from, okay? Don't order two. I know you like to sleep-shop from that other thread!

Seriously though....you would only need the extender ring if you plan to cook something large, like a turkey. That's the only time I've used it. They also offer another, less expensive, NuWave model without the extender ring.

~ DreamOn

I have now started only putting things in my cart at night and finishing the order the next day, during the day!!