Trapped Turkey Syndrome

Turkey Recipes
Trapped Turkey Syndrome
By ARA Content
Apr 18, 2008, 22:32

It's a surprisingly common condition -- the turkey is in the oven roasting to perfection, but then it becomes trapped. To briefly sear their turkey, some cooks boost the temperature beyond 500 degrees and other cooks manually lock their older ovens thinking it will improve cooking performance, but both approaches can lead to a trapped turkey.

After years of counseling consumers on Trapped Turkey Syndrome, Whirlpool thought it was time to let the bird out of the oven. "Every year without fail we get scores of calls from consumers who inadvertently 'trapped' their turkey in the oven," says Greg Ecker of Whirlpool home appliances. "In ovens manufactured prior to 1998, regardless of brand, setting the temperature higher than 500 degrees or above can engage the safety lock mechanism.”

Also, cooks with older models sometimes lock them. They do this to keep the kids from taking a peek at the meal or think they will improve cooking quality, Whirlpool does not approve of this approach. Luckily, there are several ways to avoid trapped turkey, and to rescue a turkey that does become trapped.

Avoiding Trapped Turkey:

Photo available from Photos.com

Come clean -- Wait until after the party to clean the oven when there will inevitably be more spills and drips to clean from the inside of the oven.
Take a test run -- If you have not cooked for a while it is recommended that you do a trial meal before the big day. Make sure your oven works properly by using it prior to the party.
Stay cool -- While it might be tempting to turn up the oven temperature with a hungry crowd waiting for the turkey timer to pop, do not turn the temperature higher than 450 degrees.
On manual self-clean ovens -- Do not lock the oven door while cooking. Latching the oven door during normal baking does not improve cooking performance.

How to know when the turkey is done:

Thigh should measure 180 degrees F
Breast should be 170 degrees F
Stuffing should be 165 degrees F

Untrap a Turkey:

Let it cool -- Turn off the oven to allow the internal temperature to cool. In most cases, once the oven temperature falls to a safe level, the door will unlock and the turkey can be taken out.
Give it a break -- If all else fails, switch the circuit breaker that controls power to the oven. That will turn the oven off and allow it time to cool down. The cool down might take up to 30 minutes, then switch the breaker back on, hit the cancel key on the oven and you should be able to resume cooking.

On an anecdotal note, Whirlpool finds that most trapped turkey sufferers tend to be first-time cooks doing a practice run to impress the in-laws. For help with a trapped turkey, consumers can call Whirlpool Customer Support at (800) 253-1301 or visit whirlpool.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content