'Cold turkey' refers to the abrupt cessation of a substance dependence and the resulting unpleasant experience, as opposed to gradually easing the process through reduction over time or by using replacement medication.

A spatchcocked turkey requires a slightly different carving technique than a bird cooked the traditional way, but the basic approach remains the same: Remove the legs and wings, and then slice the breast meat. All the latest breaking UK and world news with in-depth comment and analysis, pictures and videos from MailOnline and the Daily Mail.

Sudden withdrawal from drugs such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates can be extremely dangerous, leading to potentially fatal seizures. For long-term alcoholics, going cold turkey can cause life-threatening delirium tremens, rendering this an inappropriate method for breaking an alcohol addiction.^[1]

In the case of opioid withdrawal, going 'cold turkey' is extremely unpleasant but less dangerous.^[2][3] Life-threatening issues are unlikely unless one has a pre-existing medical condition.^[3]

Smoking cessation methods advanced by J. Wayne McFarland and Elman J. Folkenburg (an M.D. and a pastor who wrote their Five Day Plan ca. 1959),^[4][5]Joel Spitzer and John R. Polito (smoking cessation educators)^[6] and Allen Carr (who founded Easyway during the early 1980s)^[7] are cold turkey plans.

Etymology[edit]

The very first adaptation of the phrase “cold turkey” to its current meaning is a matter of some debate and ambiguity.^[8]

Scholars of 19th-century British periodicals have pointed to the UK satirical magazine Judy as the true catalyst of “cold turkey’s” evolution in meaning. The journal's issue of January 3, 1877, featured the fictional diary of one John Humes, Esquire. The diary's transcript on the day in question details Mr Hume's exploits over his Christmas holiday. Throughout, Humes demonstrates a humbug attitude, complaining to every shopkeeper and acquaintance about the irony of the words ‘merry’ and ‘jolly’ being attached to the season. Most significantly, Hume is invited to stay at his cousin Clara's as a part of her household's celebrations. Hume, the miser to the core, is shocked that Clara serves him slices of (literal) cold turkey with his pudding and other side dishes on the evening of his arrival. A poor substitute for the roasted and dressed kind of turkey is the continually played-up implication in the comedy piece. The dissatisfied barrister stays several days nonetheless, and with each passing day, he is more and more shocked that the cold turkey finds its way onto his plate again. Finally, Hume arrives home, utterly disgusted at having been treated so badly. He calls for his estate lawyer and chops Clara completely out of his will and testament.^[9]

The hypothesis posited by researchers is that word quickly spread around London, greater Europe, and finally the U.S. about Hume's having given Clara “the cold turkey treatment,” as in excluding and excommunicating someone (taking Clara out of his will) in order to exact revenge for the person's ongoing ill-treatment of oneself (the repeated serving of the cold turkey).

The next known earliest print appearance of 'cold turkey' in its exclusionary sense dates to 1910, in Canadian poet Robert W. Service's The Trail of '98: A Northland Romance: “Once I used to gamble an’ drink the limit. One morning I got up from the card-table after sitting there thirty-six hours. I'd lost five thousand dollars. I knew they’d handed me out 'cold turkey' ...'

Another possible origin relates to the American phrase talk turkey, meaning 'to speak bluntly with little preparation'.^{[8][10][11][12]} The phrase 'taking cold turkey' has also been reported during the 1920s as slang for pleading guilty.^[13]

The term is also attributed to piloerection or 'goose bumps' that occurs with abrupt withdrawal from opioids, which resembles the skin of a plucked refrigerated turkey.^[3][14] However, the term was used in other contexts before being used to describe withdrawal.^[8] The similar term 'kick the habit' alludes to the muscle spasms that occur in addition to goosebumps in some cases.^[14]

A term appears in its contemporary usage in a December 1920 New York City medical bulletin:^[15]

Some addicts voluntarily stop taking opiates and 'suffer it out' as they express it without medical assistance, a process which in their slang is called taking 'cold turkey'...

Another early printed use, this one in the media to refer to drug withdrawal occurred in the Daily Colonist in British Columbia in 1921:^[16]

Perhaps the most pitiful figures who have appeared before Dr Carleton Simon ... are those who voluntarily surrender themselves. When they go before him, that are given what is called the 'cold turkey' treatment.

The term is later seen in the 1947 novel I, The Jury' by Mickey Spillane:

Included was a medical record from the hospital when he had made her go cold turkey, which is a dope-addict talk for an all-out cure.

On February 26, 1951 Time magazine article 'High & Light' used the phrase, stating:

There is one dimly hopeful side to the teenage dope problem. Unlike older people, few teenagers appear to take to drugs because of psychological troubles; youngsters usually start using narcotics either out of ignorance or the same reckless impulses which lead them to race hot rods. Though they are easier to wean, however, there are almost no facilities for taking care of them. On New York City's Rikers Island, youngsters have to endure the horrors of a sudden 'cold turkey' cure or get none at all. Once released, many go right back to drugs again.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Hughes, John R. (2009). 'Alcohol withdrawal seizures'. Epilepsy & Behavior. 15 (2): 92–7. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2009.02.037. PMID19249388. S2CID20197292.
2. ^Opiate withdrawal. Medline Plus — NIH.
3. ^ ^abcGhodse, Hamid (2010). Ghodse's Drugs and Addictive Behaviour: A Guide to Treatment. Cambridge University Press. p. 77. ISBN9781139485678.
4. ^'New book details history of LLU bringing 'Health to the People''. Loma Linda University. March 31, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
5. ^McFarland, J. Wayne; Folkenberg, Elman J. (1964). 'The Five-Day Plan to Quit Smoking'(PDF). University Health Services, University of Wisconsin. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 10, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
6. ^'WhyQuit'. WhyQuit. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
7. ^'Allen Carr Worldwide'. Allen Carr. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
8. ^ ^abc'Why Do We Quit 'Cold Turkey''. Merriam Webster. Retrieved Jan 3, 2020.
9. ^Judy, Or the London Serio-comic Journal. 1877.
10. ^'cold turkey' definition, Dictionary.com.
11. ^'Etymology of 'Cold Turkey''.
12. ^'The meaning and origin of the expression: Cold turkey'.
13. ^Statistical Report. New York (N.Y.). Police Dept. Page 192. 1924.
14. ^ ^abHales, Robert E.; Yudofsky, Stuart C.; Roberts, Laura Weiss (2014). The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry, Sixth Edition. American Psychiatric Publishing. p. 779. ISBN9781585624447.
15. ^The Narcotic Drug Problem Arthur D. Greenfield. December 1920. Monthly Bulletin of the Department of Health in the City of New York, Volume 10
16. ^Movers and Shakers: A Chronology of Words that Shaped Our Age, by John Ayto

Stuffing a Turkey Properly and Safely

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Washington, DC 20250
Consumer Education and Information

Stuffing a Turkey – To stuff or not to stuff — that is the question on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline. It is an important question to ask as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday draws near, because cooking a home-stuffed turkey can be somewhat riskier than cooking one not stuffed. If the stuffing is not cooked and handled properly, food borne illness could occur.

Remove Cold Turkey Windows 10

However, with careful preparation and the use of a meat or cooking thermometer to ensure that safe temperatures are reached, consumers can safely enjoy the traditional holiday stuffing inside OR outside the bird,” says Bessie Berry, Food Safety and Inspection Hotline Manager.

NOTE: The USDA has come up with a one-temperature-suits-all for poultry safety: 165 degrees F. For safety and doneness, the Internal Temperature of the turkey should be checked with a meat or cooking thermometer.

IMPORTANT: Although a “pop-up” thermometer that comes with many turkeys is one way to judge the turkey’s doneness, it can not tell you the temperature of the stuffing. An instant meat or cooking thermometershould also be used with stuffed turkeys.

After the estimated cooking time has elapsed, a meat thermometer should be inserted in several places, including the innermost part of the thigh and the center of the stuffing, to check the temperatures.

This is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed for professional users, the Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined: Thermapen Thermometer.

To Take Temperature of Thigh – Place the thermometer in the thickest part of thigh away from the bone of the turkey to check the internal temperature at intervals during the cooking time.

How To Remove Cold Turkey App

To Take Temperature of Breast – Insert thermometer at neck end, holding it parallel to the turkey. Confirm temperature by inserting thermometer in both sides of the turkey.

Once the turkey meat and the stuffing have reached the proper temperatures, the turkey should be removed from the oven and allowed to “stand” for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the stuffing and carving.

If you are not prepared to use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the stuffing in the bird, then the stuffing should be cooked outside the turkey.

Family favorite Turkey Stuffing/Dressing Recipes:

Turkey Stuffing
This is my family’s favorite Turkey Dressing/Stuffing recipe that I make every year. Whether you call it “stuffing” or “dressing,” what’s not to love about turkey stuffing? It is often one of the best parts of a turkey dinner. It is so easy to prepare. Also be creative and add your family’s favorite ingredients.

Sweet Onion Cornbread Stuffing
This wonderful cornbread stuffing will delight your family and friends. It is easy to make and so delicious! Use it as a great stuffing alongside of your poultry dishes.

Sweet Onion Cornbread Stuffing
This wonderful cornbread stuffing will delight your family and friends. It is also easy to make and so delicious! Use it as a great stuffing alongside of your poultry dishes.

Additional Important Food Safety Guidelines to Follow:

Handle raw turkeys safely. Take the turkey home directly from the grocery store. Errands should be run first, before going to the store. At home, place the turkey immediately in the refrigerator or freezer. A fresh turkey should be cooked within two days.

Defrosting Turkey. Defrost frozen turkeys in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for each five pounds. For faster thawing, place the frozen turkey in cold water, allowing about 30 minutes per pound. The water should be changed every half-hour. A turkey may be defrosted in the microwave if it is large enough, but follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook immediately after defrosting.

Prepare stuffing safely. Mix the stuffing just before it goes into the turkey. If more convenient, the wet and dry ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and chilled. Mix the ingredients just before placing the stuffing inside the turkey or in a casserole.

Stuff the bird properly. The turkey should be stuffed loosely about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. This will help allow the stuffing to reach the proper 165 degrees F. internal temperature whether the stuffing is in the bird or in a casserole. Use a meat thermometer to be sure. The stuffing should be moist, not dry, since heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment.

Cook at the proper temperature. The stuffed turkey should be placed immediately in a preheated oven set no lower than 325 degrees F. Cooking overnight in a “slow” oven is not recommended since food borne bacteria can form under these conditions.

Storing leftovers. Leftovers should be stored within two hours of cooking. Cut the turkey off the bones. Refrigerate the stuffing and the turkey separately in shallow containers. Use leftover turkey within four days; stuffing and gravy, in one or two days.

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