Turkey 101
Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-265 -- More Projects »
Chef Claudia McQuillan provides tips for preparing and cooking a turkey to make it the hit of the holiday meal.
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These 12-pound turkeys are an ideal size, according to McQuillan.
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- Buy a turkey that will serve approximately one pound per person in raw weight. If 20 people are coming to dinner, buy a 20-pound turkey or two 10-pound turkeys. There should still be some leftovers remaining, but not too much.
- Smaller turkeys cook quicker and don't dry out as fast. Larger turkeys are hard to transport and may not fit in a standard oven.
Preparing the Turkey
- Always thaw your turkey in the refrigerator. This usually takes a couple of days.
- Fresh turkeys are preferable and have a better flavor.
Loosen the skin on the breast a bit by placing some unsalted butter underneath the skin (figure A).Instead of traditional stuffing, use oranges and fresh thyme (figure B). Squeeze the juice of the orange a little as you insert it.Rub unsalted butter on top of skin, then season with salt and pepper. Trussing the Turkey
Trussing a turkey will reduce shrinkage by 15 percent and enable it to brown more easily.
Steps:
- With the breast side up, slide the center of a long kitchen string underneath the bird's tail.
Cross the ends above the tail and loop them over and around the drumsticks. Pull them tight to draw together the tail and ends of the drumsticks (figure C).Turn the turkey over, bring each string along the sides up to the top and wrap around across each wing. Tie tightly at the back to secure the wings close to the body (figure D). Cut off the excess string.* Note: You can cook a turkey with stuffing, but never the night before. If you're going to put stuffing in, do it right before you roast it. Once the turkey comes out of the oven, remove that stuffing and store it in a dish. When you store your leftovers, wrap turkey and stuffing separately. You do not have to wait until the food is at room temperature--just put it in hot.
Cooking the Turkey
Steps:
- Start by placing the turkey on a rack above a pan (figure E) so that the juices come down.
- Make a tent of foil over the turkey (figure F) so it doesn't brown before it is done inside.
- Roast the turkey at 425 degrees for the first half hour.
- Reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast for another hour.
- Remove the tent, and baste turkey with pan juices every 11 to 15 minutes per pound. A 12-pound bird will take approximately two and half hours, for example.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the wing of the turkey to tell when it is done. You want it to be about 165 degrees in the breast area and 180 in the thigh. Make sure you place the thermometer in a meaty part, not the bone.
- Remove from oven, remove stuffing if you've used it, and let rest for about 30 minutes before you carve.
Resources Chips and Dips: More Than 50 Terrific Recipes
by Claudia McQuillan
Chronicle Books, 1997
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Guests Claudia McQuillan
Chef / Cookbook Author / Gelson's / Mayfair SuperMarkets
E-mail:
claudiamcq@aol.com
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