TURKEY TIME
How to cook the perfect bird this Thanksgiving. »
The elusive turkey strolls in and out of our lives, for most of us, at best twice a year. For a bird we don’t see much, it certainly has an anticipated arrival and long- lasting effects.
Its return evokes images of a warm home as well as the sounds of dining rooms bustling with voices and the clanking of plates.
Realistically, that’s probably the heat from a grease fire and the smashing of dishes, but what difference does it make?
Because it’s this emblem that marks the beginning of the holiday season, a time that makes even the glummest of us giddy. After all, this is not just a recipe, but also a vehicle for memories . Or not. This is where the problem lies. The task of taking on an ingredient of this size can be overwhelming. It’s an anxiety-loaded gun, firing off burning questions that can only be answered hours later. Could it be dry? Will it be edible? Do I know the Heimlich?
To ease our angst, turkey insurance has become a popular practice and everyone seems to have his or her trick to avoiding a bone- dry bird. There’s brining, injecting, cooking it breastside down and even wrapping it in bacon. There’s nothing a few strips of bacon can’t solve, right? Hello?
The recipe below has no fancy tricks. I cook it the way I always have and it turns out a moist product with golden skin and crispy wings.
It takes just a few simple steps. Here are answers to any questions you may have about the following recipe.
Bring it up to room temperature: To evenly cook a bird through, every part of it needs to be at room temperature before going into the oven: you want it to start cooking immediately, not warming up. If not, the bird will have to be overcooked on the outside to ensure that the inside has met a safe temperature.
Make sure your turkey is fully thawed before letting it sit at room temperature for 60- 90 minutes.
Butter underneath the skin: Turkey breast yields a large amount of white meat, which dries out more easily . Adding butter between the skin and the breast melts directly over the meat, basting it in the process.
Tinfoil cover: Covering the turkey with tinfoil will prevent heat and moisture from escaping and circulate it within the covered pan. This encourages even cooking and a juicy bird.
Baste twice: Basting allows juices to melt into the skin and the meat under it. This only needs to be a done twice during the cooking process.
Temperature changes: There are a couple temperature shifts in this recipe. Starting out at a high temperature jump- starts the cooking process. A bird this size takes a long time to heat through and the outside usually gets a huge head start. Upping the heat at the beginning ensures a fair race.