Top Chef Secrets To Roast The Perfect Turkey

Are you dreaming of serving the perfect thanksgiving turkey? If so, throw out everything you thought you knew about cooking a bird. I have tips from the world’s greatest chefs that’ll turn your Thanksgiving meal into a four star experience!

• First things first: buy an oven safe, electric thermometer with a digital read-out! Chef Rich Torrisso has been roasting meats for years in his two New York Restaurants. He says a digital thermometer takes the guesswork out of cooking meat. When the turkey hits 140 degrees you pull it out of the oven and let it rest under a tinfoil tent. It’ll continue to cook under there for a while. When it hits 165 degrees, start carving!
• Turkey tip number two comes from celebrity chef Bobby Flay. He says forget about cooking the turkey whole. That’s a recipe for dry, tough meat. Instead roast the bird until the breasts are done – and you’ll know they’re done because of your digital thermometer reads 140 degrees! Then, cut off the legs and thighs and throw them in with the pan drippings to continue cooking while the breasts rest.
• Flay also recommends keeping a pot of chicken stock bubbling away on the stove all day. You can use it in the stuffing, and to make gravy. Just before you serve the turkey, ladle a little bit over the meat to keep it moist.
• The final turkey tip comes from James Beard Award winner Gabrielle Hamilton. She says do yourself a favor and don’t try to DO everything yourself. If you have a recipe that calls for peeled chestnuts, buy them peeled and if you’ve been slaving over a zillion dishes, no one will mind if the cranberries are canned.

Source:  tesh.com