HOLIDAY MEALS
lead the way every season
There are high expectations for the holiday dinner’s main course, and whether it’s turkey or ham for the main course, it doesn’t have to be difficult to prepare.
Better Homes and Garden’s article, How to Cook Ham for a Classic
Holiday Dinner, stated a ham can be baked, grilled, or done in a slow cooker.
“We recommend to our Kroger customers to baste their ham with fruit juice, like apple juice or pineapple juice. Basting a ham with drippings runs the risk of overly salty meat. The fruit juices are especially tasty when brushed over a roasting ham,” said Sparkle Anderson, APR, The Kroger Co., corporate affairs manager, Houston division.
Cooking times vary for both a ham and a turkey, depending on the size. A boneless ham up to 3 pounds can take over an hour, but a larger one, up to 10 pounds, takes nearly three hours. A bone-in cooked ham, up to 8 pounds, can bake over an hour to three hours. If the ham is up to 16 pounds, it is three hours of cooking time.
“Opt for bone-in hams,” Anderson said. “While boneless may be easier to slice, bone-in is a better option, as the bone infuses the ham with additional meaty flavor during baking. The bone makes a great addition to soup broth.”
Linda Rossman, H-E-B Cooking Connection Manager at Grand Parkway in Katy, said properly defrosting a turkey prevents cooking issues.
“Plan ahead when defrosting the turkey,” Rossman said.
Rossman suggested for every 5 pounds of turkey, it takes 24 hours to defrost in the refrigerator. For example, an 8- to 12-pound turkey takes one to two days, a 12- to 16-pound bird will be two to three days, and a 16- to 20-pound bird will be three to four days.
Getting the turkey ready is part of the process.
“I love to use the Adam’s Reserve Holiday Rub on my turkey. I don’t stuff the bird to help speed up the cooking time. The stuffing is in a separate dish and baked,” said Rossman.
Also important to do is plan the logistics of oven and stovetop cooking.
“Not everything can be baked in the oven at once. How much oven room do you have? Plan what is going to be baked and what can be cooked on the stovetop,” Rossman said.
No one wants to run out of food on the most important meal of the holiday season, so make sure you’ve got enough for dinner, and maybe a little for sandwiches or a casserole the next day.
“The rule of thumb for serving turkey is 1 pound per person and 3/4 pound of ham (bone-in) per person,” Rossman said. “I like to add an extra pound or 2 per protein. The leftovers can be used later in soups and other main dishes.”