|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – When it’s turkey time at your house—whether for a holiday or just because that big bird tastes so good—there are a few tips fromTVchef Sara Moulton and Chef’sChoice to always keep in mind and at hand.
Moulton’s latest cookbook, “Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101,” offers this advice on how to prepare and roast your turkey:
How Much Food To Figure
You’ll need around one to 1½ pounds of turkey per person (depending on whether you want leftovers). Smaller birds have less meat.
Expect about ½ cup of gravy per person, which allows for leftovers. You’ll need about 1½ tablespoons of fat and 1½ tablespoons of flour per cup of stock.
Thawing A Frozen
It’s best to thaw your turkey in a refrigerator that’s at 40 degrees or cooler. A good rule of thumb is to allow 24 hours of thawing time for every four to five pounds of turkey.
Begin By Brining
Brining your bird will result in a moist and flavorful turkey. You shouldn’t brine a kosher turkey, which has already been salted, as the drippings will be too salty to use for gravy.
Start by gently separating the turkey skin from the breast meat, legs and thighs without breaking the skin. Rub 1 tablespoon salt evenly inside turkey cavity, 1½ teaspoons under the skin of each breast and 1½ teaspoons under the skin of each leg/thigh. Wrap turkey in plastic wrap or tightly in a plastic bag. Chill for 24 to 36 hours. Pat very dry and roast as follows.
Roast
Preheat oven to 325° F. Arrange an oven shelf in the lower third of the oven. Remove neck and giblets from body cavity of turkey. Drain juices, pat bird dry inside and out. If stuffing, stuff right before roasting and return legs to tucked position. Arrange turkey breast side up in a rack (preferably a v-rack) and set in a heavy, large roasting pan. Melt a stick of butter and brush turkey all over with one-third of the butter. Season with salt and pepper, cover loosely with foil. Pour two cups of chicken broth into the bottom of roasting pan and roast turkey in the lower third of the oven for one hour. Uncover and baste with another third of the butter. Re-cover turkey and roast until approximately half way through the total cooking time. Uncover the turkey, baste with remaining butter and roast, uncovered, until a thermometer, when inserted in the thickest part of the leg thigh joint, reaches 165° F. Transfer turkey to a platter, leaving the drippings in the pan for the gravy, and cover the turkey loosely with foil.
After turkey is cooked, let it rest for 20 minutes. While it’s resting, make sure your knives are sharp. “Remember, a sharp knife is very important when it comes to holiday food prep, carving the turkey and removing the wishbone!”, says Sara.
Step One: Sharpen your knives. Not only are sharp knives safer, they’ll help you smoothly cut thin, even slices without shredding the meat. Behind every beautifully carved turkey is a sharp knife. Fortunately, theChef’sChoice highly acclaimed XV EdgeSelect applies a flawless,ultrasharp, triple-bevel Trizor XV edge while precision guides eliminate guesswork. In fact, Cook’s Illustrated, published by
To avoid stress, carve the bird in the kitchen, not at the table.
Step Two: (tip from Sara Moulton) Remove the wishbone. Use knife tip, cutting down on either side of the bone.
Step Three: Pull the leg away from the body and cut through the bone at the joint, then remove the breast by carving along the rib cage.
Step Four: Cut the breast against the grain for perfect, even slices.
Learn More
For further knife facts and carving tips, visit chefschoice.com or call (800) 342-3255.
###
For advertising/promo on HealthNewsDigest.com please call Mike McCurdy at 877-634-9180 or email him at [email protected]