Did you just have a Thanksgiving dinner disaster in Miami? Four ways to deal with it
Has something gone terribly wrong with your Thanksgiving prep?
A guest canceled and now you’re short a green bean casserole.
You woke up the morning of Thanksgiving and realized the turkey’s still frozen.
You burned the gravy while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Don’t panic.
Below is a Thanksgiving survival guide for last-minute emergencies. Which grocery stores are open and closed? Who do you call with a question about cooking the bird? Where should you pour that extra grease? And — catastrophe! — where do you dine out if your whole meal goes up in flames?
I forgot an ingredient! What’s open?
Publix: Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Mas: Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Sedano’s: Stores will close at normal time on Wednesday, then be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Presidente: Open, but check your preferred location for hours. Some stores will open at 7 a.m.
Milam’s Market: Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Aldi: Stores closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Price Choice Supermarkets: Open, but check your location of choice for hours.
The Fresh Market: Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Whole Foods Market: Stores will close at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. on Wednesday. Most stores open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Trader Joe’s: All stores closed.
It’s Thanksgiving Day and the turkey is still frozen!
Fear not. Breathe. You can still cook the turkey in the oven, though it’ll take longer, according to the USDA’s website.
Check Butterball’s website to determine the cooking time for your bird’s size and add about 50 percent to the time. So your 10-18 pound bird, which would normally take a little more than three hours, will instead take between 4.5 to five hours at 325 degrees.
READ MORE: Can your turkey explode? Consumer watchdogs have a warning about your holiday cooking
Whatever you do, never deep fry a turkey that is still frozen. The oil will instantly burst into a geyser of flames and start one of the thousands of Thanksgiving Day fires that happen every year in this country. Ten people die and 50 are injured on average every year from these frozen turkey fires, according to State Farm Insurance.
Still have a question? There are several toll-free numbers you can call on Thanksgiving day to help you talk through your Turkey tragedy:
▪ Butterball: 800-288-8372
▪ USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline: 888-674-6854
▪ Sara Lee Desserts Pie Hotline: 800-323-7117
What do you do with all this turkey grease?
If you pour the hot, greasy drippings from your turkey (or roasted Caja China pig) down the toilet or sink drain, you’re asking for an emergency plumbing situation, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department says. Once the grease cools, it will harden inside your pipes and clog them.
Instead, the county suggests pouring the grease into an old can, letting it cool and throwing it away in your regular trash.
Can we just go out to eat?
You tried to deep fry a frozen turkey, burned the house down and now everyone’s hangry and staring at you.
Here’s a list from Miami.com of some South Florida restaurants where you can eat out instead of cooking on Thanksgiving.
