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Old 12-04-2015, 05:54 PM
 
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Had bread with cheese.
And took a big box chocolate truffles to the hospital where I stayed 9 weeks. It is thanks giving..... Nurses where real happy.
Live alone so it's better to get out the house.
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Old 12-04-2015, 06:45 PM
 
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It is the presentation of the turkey; the oomph factor of that big golden bird brought in on a huge platter after every thing else is on the table. My Mother cooks the turkey; never been dry. She roasts it breast side down for half of the time then turns it over for the last 60-90 minutes (approx.).


Her turkey sure is delicious and we really do squabble about the left overs, but turkey just once a year is plenty enough for me.
.
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Old 12-04-2015, 06:54 PM
 
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Never ever have I cooked a dry turkey.

Meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the breast. Roast at 325. I take it out when it reads 165.
My thermometer says 170 for poultry......165 works just fine.

I was invited this year for Thanksgiving (I made my own whole turkey breast the day before). The host's turkey had a popup. She put foil over the turkey. When I got there.. I asked when the turkey would be done. She said.. when the popup thing popped. I opened the oven, took off the foil.....it had popped. Tested it with my instant read thermometer.......175.

It was dry.
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Old 12-04-2015, 06:55 PM
 
Location: On the sunny side of a mountain
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I had a group a my house this year so I roasted the turkey, no issue with it being dry, but I also did cider braised turkey legs to add some extra meat to the spread. The legs were great and a big hit, not sure I'll bother making a whole turkey again if I have a party. I do like having the leftovers, soup and enchiladas are my favorites.
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Old 12-04-2015, 06:56 PM
 
Location: So. California
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I look forward to this time of year for the Turkey. Mine is never dry. I do what the above poster does, it roasts breast down for 3/4 of the time, then gets turned for the last couple of hours to brown. Trick my farm raised grandmother had. Works with roasting chickens too! And we do it again at Christmas. I get a 20 pounder for 3 of us and the leftovers are gone in a few days.
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Old 12-04-2015, 07:02 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jay5835 View Post
What temperature did you cook them to?

I once cooked a friend's turkey for Thanksgiving that had one of those gizmos. He would not allow me to take the turkey out when it was done because the gizmo failed to pop up. He insisted on keeping it in for another hour, at least, and I finally balled up my apron and said "We are serving this now."

And of course, it was the dryest turkey I ever made. He was afraid people would sue him, it turned out, if the turkey was undercooked. He would not trust me. We didn't talk for awhile, mainly because by the next day, he was so embarrassed by the way he acted the day before.

I've completely given up on turkey. I don't like it that much. Thanksgiving should be about foods for which you feel thankful. This year, I made all the sides, but no turkey. Other years, it's seafood (oyster stew to start, and salmon as the main course); or else Lasagne Bolognese. Turkey is lunchmeat.


I would pull the birds when the thickest part of the bird reached 160F. We would let the bird set for 15-20 minutes before carving.

I was cooking a meal at my MIL's house over the Thanksgiving weekend (not the BIG meal) and she kept on adjusting the controls to the stove. I was about to grab the ruler and go after her. If you ask me to cook dinner, go back into the other room and let me handle it. I mean how difficult is it to prepare split pea soup??

As for me, if I had to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for under six people, my menu would be as follows:

Appetizer:

Chilled jumbo shrimp and crab claws, served with cocktail sauce

Chilled Frisee salad with a Champagne vinaigrette dressing

Roast Cornish hen stuffed with a southern cornbread dressing
Roast yams and Bosc pears with a light maple glaze
Corn pudding
Roasted asparagus

Ligonberry sauce
Cloverleaf rolls

Assortment of pies with a vanilla bean ice cream
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Old 12-04-2015, 07:19 PM
 
Location: New Yawk
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I've never had a turkey come out dry. Stick it in an oven bags, keep an eye on the meat thermometer, and it's pretty much fool-proof.
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Old 12-04-2015, 10:00 PM
 
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post
I would pull the birds when the thickest part of the bird reached 160F. We would let the bird set for 15-20 minutes before carving.,,,,,
Sure, but what temperature do you set the oven at?

I usually get a natural turkey and brine it, if it's small enough to fit into my largest container. Most people don't know the difference between natural and pre-basted ..... the pre-basted ones like Butterball have been molested by food chemists and are pretty much foolproof nowadays if you follow the instructions exactly. However while they taste very good and are juicy, they do taste a bit different, sort of like a cross between natural and the deli stuff. Also it's more dangerous to health if you keep the carcass for making stock, as you get all those chemicals in it.

So I get a natural turkey and brine it if I'm not worried about sodium content (unfortunately I do have to worry now, according to medical mandate). Spray it with Pam. If I want it to be pretty for a group, I'll brown it for an hour or so at 450f, then turn it down to 225f and let it coast a few hours until the legs loosen up a bit, maybe put on some loose foil tenting after the hot phase. I don't usually pay attention to the little pop-up thingy, nor do I take the internal temperature .... don't really know why.

If I'm alone I don't need it to be perfectly browned, so I'll simply put it on the roasting pan upside-down and let it go at 225f for maybe 6 hours before I start checking for leg looseness. It might take 8 hours to finish. If the thighs are done the breast has already long been done. No need for covering or tenting if it's done at a low temp.

While I vastly prefer dark meat if it's served plain, I find white meat to be perfectly acceptable and even desirable if eaten with something fatty in the same mouthful, like a good dressing or even a dab of mayonnaise (but don't use mayo if there are other people there, they will be horrified).
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:05 AM
 
19,965 posts, read 30,111,427 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scratch33 View Post
We stopped eating turkey for Thanksgiving years ago. Steak and lobster instead. No leftovers.
I can see this


they say the sense of smell is linked deepest to memory... I believe it, we had few traditions growing up. but the holidays. and the aroma of a turkey cooking IS a comfort food to me...
can easily take me back to the '70's when most of the older family was still at the table ..
we would go to my grandmothers house in Kennebunkport...

looking back, the turkey was usually dry- thank god for gravy! but it never tasted so good...
we sat at the "kids" table and loved it..

now we go to my fathers place as a family tradition, we eat lobster on Wednesday evening ..and play poker ..and have turkey on thanksgiving

my son is almost 24 and has had traditions growing up....not many but the holidays are ...still a mainstay, with food being a centerpiece.... and if we didn't gather from miles away around holidays/ food, the only time we might see each other is weddings and funerals... so thank god for food/traditions,, like turkey
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Old 12-05-2015, 01:03 AM
 
11,025 posts, read 7,797,253 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ocngypz View Post
Never ever have I cooked a dry turkey.

Meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the breast. Roast at 325. I take it out when it reads 165.
My thermometer says 170 for poultry......165 works just fine.

I was invited this year for Thanksgiving (I made my own whole turkey breast the day before). The host's turkey had a popup. She put foil over the turkey. When I got there.. I asked when the turkey would be done. She said.. when the popup thing popped. I opened the oven, took off the foil.....it had popped. Tested it with my instant read thermometer.......175.

It was dry.

Very interesting. Do you carry your thermometer everywhere you go as a guest and presume to use it?
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