How to be a Thanksgiving hero?
1. Don’t baste your bird.
2. Salt under the skin.
3. Use wings to make gravy.
#thanksgiving
Click here to watch more Cook’s Illustrated Cooking Tips:
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
20 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I just spatchcock my first turkey by myself. Had a little trouble with the "CPR" portion to flatten it. But my iron skillet did the trick. To anyone that thinks this is intimidating…You Got this!!! Happy Thanksgiving.
I tried these tips on a roast chicken. Delicious. So tasty with seasoning under the skin. Drying the skin before roasting does make a nice crisp skin. I used a digital thermometer to check temperature.
Sweet. Thanks. 😀
Learn to deep fry your turkey. Less cooking time and makes for a more crispy and juicy turkey. Did I mention that your house won't be super hot from having the oven on for most of the day?
I’m roasting my first turkey ever this year. Can I apply the roasting techniques outlined in your nov/dec09 issue of Cooks Illustrated in an electric air roasting oven (aka Nesco)? Most notably, do I still flip the turkey and do I still crank the heat up at the end after removing the stuffing? Or should I just go with the turkey roasting instructions that came with the roaster?
Thanks for the tips! It won't help me though because I'm allergic to poultry since I was 6 years old. So when Thanksgiving and all these holidays roll around I come up with something else to eat. If I go to other peoples houses that have the full turkey dinner then I usually get mashed potatoes maybe some vegetables and maybe some desserts. So I usually try to stay home for the holidays. Lol!
Anyone else having trouble with the Cook's Illustrated cooking link? Not working for me. Also, if I salt under the skin and inside the turkey, do I salt the top of the skin as well?
I'm a master baster.
i use the neck for stuffing and gravy. what are they doing that they keep the neck?
I’m glad to see Not Gay Jared from Louder with Crowder found a new job.
Anybody else get the turkey fryer add before the vid?
And, if you have a fireplace or a wood stove or any candles burning, don't let your dogs ingest any of that turkey gravy or your house might explode.
Thank you for not saying "Norman Rockwell turkey"
If you brine the bird, surely there is no need to salt it under the skin. I think many would disagree about basting.
I love ATK, I rely heavily on them for recipe testing and tasting. But I have to disagree with the whole: don’t baste your bird statement. Here is why; my family has been making the same turkey recipe for over 50 years. It’s for a “black turkey” should you want to look it up. It starts with a basting fluid made on the stove top, and brought to a simmer. In other words; it’s hot. After using it all up, from the stove top, we then use whats in the bottom of the roasting pan and keep basting. It’s every 15 minutes. Basting this hot liquid over the bird, in my opinion; can help cook the bird more thoroughly. Hot liquid transfers heat energy better then hot air. Fact. Additionally, there is a huge debate on the net about using stuffing. The idea that the stuffing in the center of the bird doesn’t get adequately cooked when the outside of the bird is done. Here is where basting can help as well. I am continually basting that fluid over the stuffing sticking out the back of the bird. I think that hot liquid, migrates into the stuffing ensuring it is adequately cooked as well. 50+ year, nobody has ever gotten food poisoning from my meal. I’d love to have an actual test kitchen challenge done, accurately measuring the temp of the inside of the bird meat, and inside of the stuffing, both by basting and NOT basting and see the results. Chew on it ATK. Love you guys!!!!!
What's the best way to cook a whole turkey? Big turkeys are so big that it's harder to cook them evenly than, say, chicken. Especially considering the different ideal cooking times for white and dark meat. A whole roasted bird looks nice, but I'd rather serve it parted if it means juicier, tastier meat. Besides, we cut into it immediately anyway. Spatchcocking like a chicken probably also ruins the whole bird aesthetic. If I was making the turkey this year I'm thinking I would part it and then sous vide the parts. Then put a sear on to color the skin, perhaps using the broiler or a heat gun/Searzall. Or even a hot pan. Then I'd simply serve a platter with different parts on it: legs, thighs, breasts. No dry turkey meat. No tacky breast meat.
Great advice, thank you!
I use a herb butter mixture under and over the skin. Delicious!
Thanks for tips and have a bless day Happy Holiday and have a bless and happy thanksgiving and enjoy being with family and friends
Thanks for showing us the turkey..