I disagree with her.

We only have turkey here at Christmas time, but I love it when we have it. It's delicious.

And we do not have cranberry sauce because I find things like that just too damn tart to go with meat (I love cranberry juice etc. just not on meat)


I do agree with her general premise, which is to not worry as much and just enjoy... but I like turkey damnit!

Turkey is not particularly tasty. Odd then that we decide to eat it at all but then only on special occasions. I'm virtually going vegetarian these days so it's no longer an issue for me.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

This lady's great. Does she have her own show?

My in laws made two turkeys this time, one deep fried, and one backup turkey in case the deep fried thing didnt work out. The deep fry bird came out looking shrunken and very dark, we thought disaster. But it turned out to be the better of the two once you got past the crispy shell.

I'm pretty sure this woman's kitchen is next door to my exgirlfriend's place.

Is there anything worse than overcooked, dry turkey?
And for those who say turkey isn't very tasty, have you tried any from a farmers market?
Just about everything from a farmers market has more flavor than what's in the grocery store.

If turkey is so fucking great, then why don't we eat it all year? Turkey is just dry, flavorless chicken

Turkey is easy to overcook, and that's why people think it's dry, flavorless, etc. There are a couple things that can be done to avoid it though. First, DON'T stuff the turkey. Seasonings only on the inside, otherwise the cooking is uneven. Also, use a meat thermometer and measure the deepest part of the thigh meat. Once it reaches 165 F, pull it out instantly. (Some argue that it should be once the breast reaches 165, but I haven't tested that yet, so I can't say.) The best is probably to cook it in pieces, pre-cut. Who cares that you don't do the carving in front of everyone, the end result tastes better because you have more control over it.
Anyway, my two cents.

I like what Sylvester said about not putting in the stuffing, and using a meat thermometer. Personally, I put the thermometer right in the breast meat, and pull it out somewhere between 161-165 F (72-74 C). And then let it rest. Just like a good steak, don't you dare cut into that juicy sucker until it has sat for at least 15-20 minutes or else all your moisture will just pour out all over your cutting board instead of being absorbed back into the meat.

BUT, the real secret, is to brine your turkey. Check out this recipe by food scientist Alton Brown: Good Eats Roast Turkey Recipe. There's a reason it has 3,750+ reviews and a 5-star rating. Only instead of a 5-Gallon bucket, I just use a brining bag and put it in the bottom drawer of the fridge. Do make sure it's fully submerged. A brine promotes osmosis, which lets your flavorful bath soak through the meat. It's SCIENCE!

The only reason I don't eat turkey more often is because it's just me and my lady here and a weeks worth of food comas would be counter-productive.

I completely agree with the video. Make some tasty sides, serve good wine, and bury the basically tasteless turkey with something that has flavour. Mmmmmm, gravy. Or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoTAb34rLso