turkey talk

Ok, so I have always used a thermometer to tell when my turkey is done, cooking it to 175 degrees F., which usually takes about 3 hours for a 10lb bird. Today I was reading an article by Nigella and she says that you should cook a 10lb turkey for 2 hours, that's it. The first 1 1/2 hours breast side down then flip for the last 1/2 hour. As far as temperature, 200 C for the first half hour and then down to 180C. This is all assuming that the turkey is at room temperature.

Has anyone tried her way?

seriously, i shoudln't be replying b/c i'm crap at cooking turkies.

but i think i'll follow the cooks illustrated recipie this year.  it's brining the turkey first.  drying out in fridge (luckily i have an extra fridge) 400 for 45 minutes breast side down... and then reduce to 325, flip breast up and cook until done.  between 1 hr and 3 hrs depending on size of turkey. 

the flipping thing is so that the breasts stay moist.

I've been doing Martha Stewart's turkey in brine for years.  It is lovely.  Also, I cover it with muslin and baste with butter and wine - really lovely!

I always take the temperature in the bottom of the thigh and since I've been doing that, my turkey has been perfect and the breast is always moist. 

I'm going to try a fresh turkey this year and see how that goes.   

I always brine my turkey too. When I saw Alton Brown from the Food Network explain the science behind brining, I had to try it. It really makes a difference. 

I use a Delia Smith recipe which calls for slathering the breasts in butter and wrapping in large pieces of bacon and then tin foiling the whole thing for most of the cooking time. Works a charm! I use the thigh for temp to, MrsPink, and you're right, it's always perfect

But I'm interested in what this brine recipe is . . . even if it IS Martha Stewart's recipe

Here is the Good Eats one I use...no Martha here.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html

This is my first time cooking a big "bird", I got a large 17lb turkey (smallest they had!), so I will be looking out for lots of leftover recipes!  BTW Can you freeze cooked turkey just as it is? 

Anyway I saw the delia recipe, looks wonderful, I am looking at 4-5 hours cooking time. Then, I looked at the Alton recipe on food network, he's saying 2 1/2 hours for a 14-16lb turkey?  Does the brining do something to shorten the cooking time?

Thanks

No clue on whether brining shortens cooking time...sorry. 

I take the easy way with a turkey.  For up to a 12 lb. bird, you can cook your bird for 1 hour at 500 degrees.  Bizarre I know but works like a charm...you just have to cover the tips of the bird with foil so they don't spontaneously combust .

You can definitely save turkey leftovers....just wait till the bird cools, then double bag them in freezer and you can keep it for quite awhile.  I've actually had some for about 9 months...probably not wise but I just used it for a turkey pot pie and couldn't tell the difference. 

AB's turkey is the way to go.  The probe thermometer is essential.  You can check http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com for a transcript of his turkey episode.  It's very helpful as a supplement to the recipe.

Brining doesn't shorten the cooking time, but the method used to cook the bird does.  Starting out at high heat reduces the cooking time significantly.  Less time in the oven means less chance for juice to get squeezed out of the bird by heat.  Yummy.

I find that the trickiest bit is getting the thermometer placed so it is in the deepest part of the breast without being too close to the ribs.  Normally I end up erring on the side of caution and inserting it too far.  Then when it goes off I start extracting the probe slowly enough that the temperature reading can update.  If it drops below 161 degress I leave it where it is and put the bird back in the oven.  Repeat as necessary.

As a last note, if you read the transcript mentioned above you'll see that he calls stuffing evil (when actually stuffed in the bird).  There are later episodes where he changes his tune a bit and describes a way to cook a stuffed turkey safely if you prefer to stuff the turkey.

I have always stuffed my turkey and never had any problems (I couldn't do without that!!).  i check the temp of the stuffing as well.  And I do sausage meat stuffing.  Never had a bad one yet!

those of you with penicillan allergies:

BEWARE OF FRESH TURKEY!

when i was six months old, my mother went into anaphylactic shock on thanksgiving. she was rushed to the er, and they gave her a dose of adrenaline. this sent her into cardiac arrest, because she has a heart murmur.

the doctors were stumped until an allergist realised that mom's allergic to penicillan. it seems that turkeys are fed a diet laced with penicillan to ensure that they are free of infection once slaughtered.

My dad's side of the family always stuffed the bird, but the way they cooked the bird (in about 3 inches of water) always made the stuffing a sloppy mess that was just nasty.  It didn't help that the canned oysters they put in the stuff turned bright green.  Kind of put me off stuffing the bird at a very young age.

that sounds horrendous!  why do they boil the turkey? 

you gotta try some homemade, basic stuffing one day.  onions, celery, sage, thyme, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, butter, chicken stock.  that's it.  and it's amazing!

you gotta try some homemade, basic stuffing one day.  onions, celery, sage, thyme, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, butter, chicken stock.  that's it.  and it's amazing!

I always do homemade, too. I beat an egg into mine to hold it all together, rather than using the stock. Oh, and I put parsley in it as well. Other than that, it's just like yours.

I normally can't stand stuffing...it's not the taste, it's the texture.  Soggy bread?  Blech!!!  (No offense to anyone who loves stuffing...it's just a personal preference!)

I had Thanksgiving one year w/a friend who was a chef though...he made the most amazing wild rice and sausage stuffing.  I could have skipped the rest of the meal and just eaten his stuffing instead!  Reminds me...I should email him for the recipe...