Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cooking and turkey

The most insane Turkey recipe ever.

melorama — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:36:42 -0800

I'm searching for an completely insane recipe for a "blackened" roasted turkey that David Rosengarten prepared on his old Food Network show, "Taste". Back in the early to mid 90s (when the Food Network had programs that were actually worth watching), the loveably snooty David Rosengarten had an awesome show called "Taste", where he would discuss one selected food item in excruciating and fascinating detail every week.

One one show, he demonstrated how to make a crazy Roasted Turkey recipe which required 30 or 40 steps to prepare. The culmination of the recipe, as I recall, was covering the whole bird with some sort of substance that caused the outer crust of the turkey to turn completely black.

The only other detail I remember is that the premise of the show was that the recipe was published by a newspaper or magazine writer many, many years ago, and that the pure insanity of the recipe had become an near urban legend that David Rosengarten sought to actually try out for himself to see if it was for real.

What's the name of this Turkey dish? (and an extra gold star if you can tell me where I can watch old episodes of "Taste" online)

Help me perform an expatriat culinary miracle.

bookish — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:07:18 -0800

How can I best approximate a real Thanksgiving turkey— with chicken, a gas burner, and toaster oven? What other kinds of traditional fare can I make, given the limited ingredients available where I live? Help me have a real Thanksgiving far from home! I'm studying in India for the year, and my fellow American students and I want to put on a Thanksgiving dinner. One girl is making cornbread, using corn meal she brought with her from home. There will be mashed potatoes. There will be mulled wine. But what else, and how?

I really would like something turkey-like, but there is no way I can find turkey meat. Chicken is my best bet. This is a pretty vegetarian city, but there are some butchers, and I could probably find basically any part of the bird I need (or the whole bird, but I don't think that will fit in the toaster oven). I'm not really sure how to go about cooking it though— I've never cooked a turkey and, having been a vegetarian for much of my life, I don't really have experience cooking meat in general. I need major help.

I would also like to fill out the selection of side dishes. Again, there are ingredient constraints. I can get fresh carrots, peas, potatoes, beets, white radishes, cauliflower, okra, green beas, cabbage, tomatoes, onions and garlic. I can get green bell peppers, but not red or yellow. I can get a variety of squashes, but they're all a little different than the varieties I'm used to. There are also yam-like things, but they're not the sweet potatoes of home. I can get corn, but only frozen. No broccoli, mushrooms, cranberries, celery.

No prepared convenience ingredients like chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, pie crust. Cheese is possible but difficult, expensive, and comes in a very limited range. Flour, butter, eggs are go. Cooking oil, but not olive oil or anything fancy like that. European spices are of very limited availability, with the exception of those used in Indian food (coriander, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon). I have some dried basil and oregano, and may be able to find rosemary and thyme if I'm lucky.

I don't have any fancy kitchen equipment either— a few assorted pots and pans, a few knives, spatulas, spoons. I have a countertop gas range with two burners and a toaster oven to bake (smallish) things in.

If you have any ideas for Thanksgiving food that I could pull off using what I've got, please tell me. We're all homesick and really looking forward to putting on a delicious, heartwarming feast.

Turkish Coffee: Where's the Foam?

k. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:08:52 -0800

I tried to make Turkish coffee, but it doesn't foam up like it's supposed to. What am I doing wrong? This is my understanding of how to make Turkish coffee: grind coffee to a really fine powder, put it in a pot with water, and don't stir (so the coffee stays at the top and forms a layer over the surface of the water). Heat until the surface foams up, then remove the pot from heat. Put it back on the stove and do the same thing two more times, then pour it into cups.

When I try to do this, the coffee doesn't foam very much the first time, and it hardly foams at all after that; it just boils. I tried using more coffee than I was supposed to, but that didn't help much. I'm using a small saucepan, since I don't have a real Turkish coffee pot (cezve/ibrik/briki)--I wonder if the problem is that, unlike a cezve, a saucepan has a wide surface area at the top, which thins out the coffee layer. Still, some recipes say it's fine to make Turkish coffee with just a regular pot. Any ideas of what the problem might be?

Getting Potatoes Right

Fairchild — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:08:46 -0800

How can I make perfect baked potatoes while roasting other meats? I'm roasting a bone-in turkey breast that will take 1 3/4 - 2 hours at 325 degrees. I want to make four baked potatoes as well. Should I bake them at 325 for the entire time it takes to roast the turkey breast?

Last week I baked four small to medium sized baked potatoes on their own in a 350 degree oven for an hour and they were still undercooked. This method has never failed me, maybe I used to do them at 375 and forgot.

Thanks.

How do I cook a turkey roast?

pluckysparrow — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:06:42 -0800

How in the heck do I cook a turkey roast for maximum deliciousness? I am hosting a small dinner party tonight and plan to serve turkey. A trip to my local grocery store to pick up supplies last night made me discover that I don't have time to thaw a frozen bird, so I bought about 6 pounds of raw turkey roast. I have zero experience cooking turkey and am completely puzzled on how to cook this so that it is delicious. My initial googling for this brings some baffling and exotic sounding recipes or suggestions for cooking an entire bird. I don't want to include cranberries, curry, bacon or sausage in my recipe. How do I cook this thing so that it tastes good?

Help me gobble this gobbler

peachfuzz — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:26:18 -0800

Have you ever dry-brined a turkey? I just picked up this year's fresh bird from a local farm. I've done the brine thing before, and was reasonably pleased with the results, but I'm more and more intrigued by the idea of a salt rub - I hate messing about with coolers and gallons of icy poultry-contaminated water, and I've used the Judy Rogers salt/dry brine method on roast chicken for years with great success. Easy-peasy prep, juicy breast meat, crackling skin - perfect, for a three and a half pound bird. I'm nervous about translating it for the big dinner, though.

My questions -

1) If you've done this before, do you have any tips on handling, ratios, timing, anything? Right now, I'm leaning towards kosher salt mixed with dried herbs, a tablespoon per pound, with about 60 hours covered and 12 hours uncovered to dry. Do you turn the turkey during the salting? Massage or otherwise redistribute the salt? Is more or less salt better?

2) Do you stuff the bird? If so, do you undersalt the stuffing? I have a favorite dressing recipe, and much prefer to cook at least some inside the turkey, but have been reading that it's not a great idea for brined or pre-salted roasts. Ditto for drippings/gravy - should I roast some extra parts in case the turkey drippings are too salty?

3) Any tips in general for cooking a 21 pound turkey? This is bigger than any turkey I've ever cooked before, and I'm nervous about cooking it through without burning the outside. With 13 or 14 pound turkeys I start at a high temperature, then lower, then turn it back up for a final browning, flipping it several times. I'm nervous about trying to turn a turkey this big, though; I guess I can shield the breast with some foil for the beginning. I am stressed about temperature and timing, though - do you have a definitive cooking method for big birds?

Thank you so much! I know it seems like I'm overthinking, but I'm pretty committed to having actively good (not just edible/we can suffer dry meat for tradition) turkey for my Thanksgivings, and it gets me really anxious every year - I hate cooking for a houseful of people when the centerpiece dish hasn't even gotten a trial run, and it just isn't practical to try out a bunch of different variations before the big day.

Capon for Thanksgiving

mccarty.tim — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:25:45 -0800

Anyone have any tips for roasting a capon? This year, my family only has 3 people for Thanksgiving. Thus, we bought a 12 lb capon instead of a tiny flat-chested turkey. A capon is a castrated rooster, if you didn't know. I was planning to treat it like a turkey, brining it overnight and then roasting it on a v-rack the next day under fairly high heat until the bird gets to temperature.

However, after a Google search, I found out that some sites claim that capons are naturally self-basting because of the bird's higher fat content. Is this true, and should I skip the brining? Some sites also claim a slow roast is best, but my experience has given me the best results using the Cooks Illustrated 2004 recipe for turkey when it comes to turkey.

Does anyone have any experience with this bird?

How much of a frozen turkey's weight is in the breast/meat?

mhuckaba — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 18:28:05 -0800

How much of a frozen turkey's weight is the breast? I'd like to eat more turkey, so I'd like to buy a fresh turkey, slice off the breast meat, and cut it up like boneless chicken breasts, and freeze/cook them. I'd also use the other misc meat/thigh meat for soups, and the skeleton for stock. But I am wondering, how much of a turkey's meat is in the breast, and how much is meat total? Is using a turkey breast more economical than buying boneless chicken breasts (which are like $3+ a pound), assuming the turkey cost 79c per pound?

To buy a great turkey

Sully6 — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:20:39 -0800

Hey MetaCooks, your opinion on heritage, pasture-raised or otherwise fancypants turkeys please? Complicating factors inside... For the first time in a very long time, I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house. I am debating about purchasing heritage birds from a local farmer instead of going the Butterball route. (And yes, I know about the Slate article.)

The issues are:

My husband is a turkey junkie. Only the largest, most unwieldy Frankenturkey by Butterball will do. Thus, he was noticeably alarmed when I mentioned I was looking into heritage birds.

Several of the guests are picky eaters. If the turkey doesn't taste like the turkey they are used to, I think they may not enjoy the meal.

If you've gone the fancier bird route, were the results worth it? Did your guests (especially nonfoodie ones) enjoy it?

Where can I learn more about the dangers of harmful bacteria in poultry?

rorycberger — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:13:14 -0800

Where can I learn more about the dangers of harmful bacteria in all kinds of poultry? In preparation for this, I've been trying to learn all that I can about the food safety risks involved in cooking a wide variety of poultry. Unfortunately, everything I've found thus far has been very chicken-centric and really only told me a few things:
1. Don't cross contaminate
2. Cook to an internal temperature of X degrees (varies by source)
3. Avoid the "danger zone" of Y - Z degrees (also varies by source)

The main thing I'm looking for is much more detailed info about Salmonella: e.g. At what temperatures (precise range) does it thrive? What exactly does it mean for it to "thrive"? How long (really) can it stay in "the danger zone" and still be safe? Why does "the danger zone" even matter if I cook it to a safe temperature? If my meat is contaminated, how likely are people to get sick? What symptoms will they experience? Anything (other than thorough cooking) that kills it or slows it down?

Beyond that I am curious about a number of other factors, such as:
-Bird choice: Which birds are most likely to be contaminated? Which are least likely? Are there certain birds that are especially dangerous? Is an organic bird safer? A wild bird? Are different birds safe at different temperatures?
-Beyond Salmonella: What else should I be worried about (esp. in the game birds), and what are the properties of these other bacteria?
-Other precautions: Anything else I can do to minimize the risks? Does brining help/hurt? Rinsing? Drying? Wrapping tightly in plastic wrap? Leaving unwrapped in the fridge? Bringing to room temp before cooking? Sticking it in the freezer for a little while before cooking?

While I would certainly appreciate answers to my specific questions here, I'm mostly looking for suggestions of primary sources (books, reputable websites, etc.) to do further research. Thanks in advance for any help!

How do I bake a heritage turkey?

readymade — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:44:16 -0800

Give me your best guess (or, more preferably, personal experience) as to how to prepare this heritage turkey I've got! The recommendations are wide ranging and often conflicting: High heat or low heat? Stuffed or filled with onion and herbs? Tented in oiled parchment paper or naked as a jay bird? Turn every half hour to brown evenly at high heat or roast slowly on a rack? Butter under the skin to self-baste or brine?

Help me, gluttons!

Strange birds

rorycberger — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:34:00 -0800

I want to prepare a Russian-Doll Roast. In Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany, there is a recipe for a "Russian-Doll Roast" as follows:

Below is one of many versions of the famous Russian-doll-like roast. Its preparation is complex and laborious (it is wise to debone all of the birds larger than the ortolan), and there is always the vexed question of how long to cook the monster once it is prepared. Eighteen hours of moderate roasting seems a reasonable time, but be sure to check the juices run clear.

Stuff a large olive with capers and a clove
Place the olive inside a bec-figue
Place the bec-figue inside an ortolan
Place the ortolan inside a lark
Wrap the lark in vine-leaves and place inside a large thrush
Place the thrush inside a plump quail
Wrap the quail in bacon and place inside a plover
Place the plover inside a lapwing
Place the lapwing inside a partridge
Place the partridge inside a woodcock
Place the woodcock inside a barded teal
Place the barded teal inside a well-hung guinea-fowl
Garnish the guinea-fowl with bacon and place inside a duck
Place the duck inside a plump chicken
Place the chicken inside a large high pheasant
Place the pheasant inside a goose
Place the goose inside a large turkey
Place the turkey inside an enormous bustard

Off the top of my head, I know I can find turkey, duck and chicken; and I'm pretty sure I've seen quail, pheasant, and guinea fowl in stores before but am not positive I can find them easily. The rest I have no idea where I'd find them, and in some cases I have never heard of them. I'm looking for the following:
1) Purveyors, either online or in the SF bay area, for any of the less common birds. Bonus points if I can buy them already deboned.
2) Tips for preparing such a roast, especially with regards to boning each specific bird. Are there any special bones to watch out for in, say, a Lapwing that won't be mentioned in a guide to deboning a chicken? To be honest, I've never even deboned a chicken (or any other bird) so general tips would be helpful as well.
3) Experiences with similar roasts, even if on a smaller scale (anybody done a TurDuckHen, perhaps?). Thoughts on roasting temperature, target internal temperature (is there anything other than salmonella that I need to be worried about?), cooking time, how to keep the outside layers from going dry, etc.? Any other poultry that this list is missing that I might want to add/substitute (Squab comes to mind)?
4) This may be a longshot, but if any of these bird names are antiquated versions of something more common, please let me know. If there's another name for a bird that a butcher might know better, that would certainly help me track it down.
5) Anything that I might need to know about seasonality. I'm planning to make this for Christmas, so I wasn't planning on buying most of this stuff right away, but is there anything I should definitely buy and freeze now before the hunting season (or slaughtering season or whatever) might end?

Sorry for the huge question, but I'm anticipating a huge project and need all of the help I can get. Thanks in advance.

How to roast a turkey without a meat thermometer?

christin — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:38:04 -0800

I need help with turkey. Old fashioned help. [More Inside] For some reason or another, Ralph's just gave me an 18 pound (I think...) turkey. The trouble is, I haven't even roasted a chicken in my whole life. Nor do I have a meat thermometer or whatnot that people buy for turkey cookin'.

So, my googling didn't turn up any results. (I didn't even know what to search for - turkey+no+fricking+clue+tools?) All of them require the use of a meat thermometer!

The turkey is defrosting right now with a running cold water bath, and I would like to somehow cook this turkey to make it edible. Nothing fancy here, just without the help of any thermometers . I know I'm risking possible food poisoning but I can't get to a meat thermometer without a car, and all the shops will be closed tomorrow.

Thank you very much! Sorry for clogging up the AskMe with more postings from me.

Turkey

bondcliff — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 07:22:38 -0800

Somewhere I saw advertised a metal rod that you stick into the cavity of a turkey to conduct heat into the stuffing to eliminate the bird/stuffing safe temperature conflict. Google fails me. Anyone know about this? Does it work? Where can I get one before Thursday? I'm doing a turkey for the first time this year and my wife is doing the stuffing. We're at odds about cooking it inside the bird. She says it tastes better inside the bird. I agree, but to cook the stuffing requires overcooking the bird. This rod might solve my problem and save my marriage.