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Do you know that a
"frozen" turkey is fresher than a so called "fresh" turkey?
 The frozen turkey have been frozen immediately upon preparation. The so
called fresh turkeys can sit in your store for days. I always buy a
frozen turkey because of this.
What type should you buy -
Fresh or Frozen?
This is what my local favorite butcher told me. The
so-called "fresh" turkeys have been sitting around for many, many days. From the processing, trucking to the grocery store, and then in the grocery
store. These are not fresh turkeys!
His advice to to purchase a
frozen turkey, as they are flash frozen immediately after being butchered.
Frozen turkey are fresher turkeys!
Check out my articles on
Turkey
Terminology - Types of Turkeys
and
Guidelines for
Oven Roasted Turkey.
Turkey Roasting Hints and Tips - Cooking a Turkey is Easy!
Use a shallow
turkey roasting pans. If you use a deep roasting pan, you wind up steaming
the meat. If you don't have a good roasting pan, you should purchase one a good sturdy
one with handles.
BEWARE of the aluminum foil
disposable roasting pans as they are not
sturdy enough to hold a large turkey and can buckle up when trying to remove
the hot turkey from the oven.
Beware of aluminum roasting pans! Most of these pans are not sturdy
enough to carry a 12 pound or more turkey. They can buckle and cave
in, and have been known to cause injuries by collapsing under the
weight. Make sure your pan is sturdy enough to handle the bird
safely.
Do NOT stuff your turkey ahead of time as harmful bacteria growth could spoil the uncooked turkey.
Just before roasting, stuff the body and the neck
of the turkey. Do not pack in as the stuffing will expand during
cooking. If packed in too tightly, it will be very dense instead of
light.
Using kitchen twine or skewers, tie or
truss the abdomen closed and the legs together close to the body so that
the stuffing cooks evenly.
Truss or Not to Truss - You do not need to
bother with complicated trussing. Instead, secure the legs by tucking the ankle
joints into the pocket of skin at the tail end. Tuck wing tips back under the shoulders of bird (called "akimbo").
Check out my articles
Linda's Favorite Turkey Stuffing
and
Advice on Stuffing a Turkey Safely.
Roast your turkey
breast-side down on a v-shaped rack until the last hour or so in the
oven, then turn it to brown the breast. The result is a moister white meat.
This is optional, but I like to rub some butter over the skin of the turkey
before beginning the roasting. Vegetable oil may also be used, but I like
the taste of real butter. This helps the skin brown.
I also like to add 1 cup chicken broth/stock to the bottom of the turkey pan
before beginning the cooking. This will create a steam room-type environment
in the oven, which help keep the breast moist but will not prevent browning
of the skin.
Basting during the roasting process is an
unnecessary extra stop. Basing in the last hour of roasting can actually turn a
beautiful crisp turkey skin soft.
Baste the turkey with accumulated juices from the bottom of the pan.
Three easy ways to baste a
turkey:
Use a
Turkey
Baster
(bulb turkey baster)
Use a basting brush
Use a large spoon to scoop up the juices and drizzle over the
turkey
If the turkey is browning too quickly, make a tent out of aluminum foil and
place over the top of the turkey.
Never rely on the
little plastic thermometer in some turkeys to pop out.
If you wait for it, the turkey will overcook. Instead stick an
instant read thermometer several inches down through the skin
between the thigh and the breast so the tip ends up about an inch
above the joint. They turkey is ready when the thermometer reads 165
degrees F. Check out
my web page on
Using A Thermometer - Take
The Guesswork Out Of Cooking.
 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.
Let the cooked turkey
"rest" after it have been removed from the oven.
While the
turkey cooks, the juices are forced away from the heat to the middle
of the turkey. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 20
to 30 minutes after it is removed from the oven. This allows the
juices to redistribute throughout the turkey. A moist turkey is
easier to carve.
Prepare your turkey gravy while the turkey
is resting.
Perfect Turkey Gravy.
After the turkey has rested, remove the
stuffing/dressing and place in a serving dish.
Carve your turkey and serve.
If you need your oven to
reheat or cook side dishes, it's better to serve the turkey at room
temperature with hot gravy than to reheat it.
Reheating
dries out the meat. The interior of a large turkey will stay quite
hot for at least an hour.
Using A Cooking Bag:
This is an easy way to cook your
turkey. It keeps all the juices and flavors in the bag and the turkey is
automatically basted while it cooks. You end up with more juices than
cooking the conventional way because they do not evaporate during
roasting. The juices also do not burn and stick to the pan.
To purchase top-quality
turkey roasting pans, check out
What's Cooking America's Kitchen Store
for all your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner
tools and equipment needs.
Check out Linda hints and tips on preparing your holiday turkey dinner
(Click on the underlined below):
Turkey Terminology - Types of Turkeys
Guidelines for Brining Poultry
Linda's Favorite Turkey Stuffing
Advice on Stuffing a Turkey Safely
Using a Cooking or Meat Thermometer
Perfect Turkey Gravy
Gravy Making Tips
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Advice on Handling Leftovers Safely
Let's
Make Turkey Stock
Barbecued Turkey
Cajun Fried Turkey
Oven Roasted Turkey
Smoked Turkey
Turducken
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