Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Talking Turkey, Part II

 
     This is the second of a three part series relaying the Gourmet Live hints for a successful Thanksgiving meal.  Today points 4 through 6:

4.  Your oven needs plenty of time to heat up.  Avoid surprises and help keep your cool by making sure your oven is as hot as it should be.  If you don't already have a good quality oven thermometer, now is the time to invest in one.  Oven temperatures can actually vary quite a bit, as much as 50 degrees from the number on the dial.  So you still need to to use an independent and reliable oven thermometer to verify the temp before you put in your turkey.

5.  Don't stuff the turkey.  An unstuffed turkey cooks more evenly, and faster, than a stuffed turkey, because there's air circulation within the cavity.  Stuffing the bird also poses  significant food-safety challenges.  The major problem is that the center of the turkey--where the stuffing is soaking up all the juices--is the last place to reach the food safe temperature of 165F.  That means the meat will be fully cooked before the stuffing's done, leaving the stuffing unsafe to eat, unless you roast your turkey until the center of the stuffing registers 165F, at which point the breast meat will be overdone and dry.

6.  Basting is worth the fuss.  Basting is the most contentious turkey topic.  There are just as many detractors as there are proponents.  Basting does make the skin glossy and crisp, but every time you open the oven door, the temperature drops.  But the overall benefits are worth it, and another plus:  Rotating the pan 180 degrees each time you baste will help the turkey cook evenly.  The practice of periodically spooning pan juices over the turkey has nothing to do with helping the breast meat stay juicy.  It's all about getting crisper skin.

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