Cooking the perfect turkey

Brining is a good place to start, but there are plenty of ways to go wrong.

If you want to serve the perfect turkey, said the San Francisco Chronicle, you want to brine it first. Trust us—"several years ago, we roasted nearly 40 turkeys in our test kitchen" and a brined turkey comes out best. Every year since, we've retested the recipe, and it works every time.

And there are plenty of options for making your brine, said The Washington Post. Try making your salt solution with duck stock and apple juice. "The acid in the apple juice will also help denature some of the proteins and connective tissue, and the sugars will increase the browning of the skin."

There's more than one way to salt a turkey, said the Los Angeles Times. Sprinkle the turkey inside and out with Kosher salt, seal it in a 2 1/2-gallon bag and refrigerate it for a few days before cooking, and you'll end up with a bird that "has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that's delicious as is. But you can add other flavors as you wish."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Whatever method you use, said The New York Times, turkey is tricky. "Overcooking is irreversible," so when in doubt undercook and put it back in the oven "if the juices run pink when it's cut." And turn down the heat if you're cooking a heritage or wild turkey, since they have less fat and burn easily. Most importantly, "forswear revelry for the last hour of roasting and stand guard over the turkey. It can go from just right to overcooked in five minutes."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us