Norman Rockwell was an artist. Art does not always imitate life. A huge turkey will never cook evenly in a home oven. That golden perfection of a skin will hide an under-done inside. Grandma will never be able to lift that platter. (Really, take a look at the size of that bird in the original. Maybe scrubbing all those floors by hand and kneading homemade bread made Grandma strong.) As for the rest of it, you know your family better than I do.
But the question remains: How to get that perfect turkey? There are as many ways to cook a turkey as there are cookbooks. Brined-wet or dry. High heat . Slow heat. Deep fried. Spit cooked. Stuffed/unstuffed. What is the home cook to do?
My old Betty Crocker cookbook says you can cook the turkey from frozen. Just remove the giblets about an hour into the cooking time. My mother told me they used to put the turkey in the oven at very low heat the night before Thanksgiving and it was ready to eat around noon. This might be similar to a recipe found on the Nourished Kitchen blog: 225 F for 12 hours, then 375 F for 1 1/2 hrs until the turkey is done, basting it every 2-3 hours. The instructions can be found here http://nourishedkitchen.com/slow-roast-turkey/
But the question remains: How to get that perfect turkey? There are as many ways to cook a turkey as there are cookbooks. Brined-wet or dry. High heat . Slow heat. Deep fried. Spit cooked. Stuffed/unstuffed. What is the home cook to do?
My old Betty Crocker cookbook says you can cook the turkey from frozen. Just remove the giblets about an hour into the cooking time. My mother told me they used to put the turkey in the oven at very low heat the night before Thanksgiving and it was ready to eat around noon. This might be similar to a recipe found on the Nourished Kitchen blog: 225 F for 12 hours, then 375 F for 1 1/2 hrs until the turkey is done, basting it every 2-3 hours. The instructions can be found here http://nourishedkitchen.com/slow-roast-turkey/
Nigella Lawson's turkey recipe in 'Feast calls for 2 hours for a 10 pound bird,. It involves starting the roasting off with the turkey upside down at 400 F for 30 minutes, down to 350 F for the rest of the time, and turning it back right side up for the last half hour. I don't know about you but turning a hot turkey up and down sounds like a recipe for disaster. Of course Nigella is English and the English don't really do Thanksgiving.
Rick Browne in 'Grilling for all Seasons' says you can pretty much grill the whole meal, He allows 20 minutes/lb if you are grilling the bird, 3-4 minutes for deep fried. This means my 10 pound turkey will be done in half an hour or so.
'Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well' by Sam Sifton suggests cutting the turkey up into its parts before roasting. This method takes 45-60 minutes for a 12-18 pound bird. I can see the merits to this method, but it just doesn't appeal to me for obvious reasons-see the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving above and replace the whole bird with a platter full of parts. Just doesn't seem right.
This is just a sampling of what's out there. Check out the library's display of Thanksgiving cookbooks for all the help you need. Or you could always do the smart thing and have it catered from the deli. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
'Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well' by Sam Sifton suggests cutting the turkey up into its parts before roasting. This method takes 45-60 minutes for a 12-18 pound bird. I can see the merits to this method, but it just doesn't appeal to me for obvious reasons-see the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving above and replace the whole bird with a platter full of parts. Just doesn't seem right.
This is just a sampling of what's out there. Check out the library's display of Thanksgiving cookbooks for all the help you need. Or you could always do the smart thing and have it catered from the deli. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
