How to cook a turkey so that it stays moist and tender?
The holiday season is approaching and you want to cook a nice big turkey for your guests? Well nothing could be easier! In addition, all your guests will be delighted to eat a good traditional Christmas dish!
To help you in your preparation, here are 10 tips and advice for cooking turkey successfully.
Cook according to the size of the turkey
For a nice cooking of the turkey, it is necessary to cook 45 minutes for each kilogram of the turkey. If you do not respect this, your turkey will either be overcooked or on the contrary undercooked. There’s nothing worse than messing up the din and eating a dry turkey on Christmas.
The right intensity for perfect cooking
It is best to cook the turkey over medium heat. Don’t forget to baste it regularly so that it doesn’t get too dry when it’s done cooking. It is better to cook longer on a lower heat than to quickly cook the turkey on a high heat.
Shield the turkey with aluminum foil
When you see the turkey starting to have some golden color, you can add a sheet of aluminum foil on top. You can remove it about twenty minutes before the end of cooking the turkey. It is also possible to purchase a cooking bag designed to cook chickens and turkeys.
Use an enameled cast iron roasting pan
This large oval pot is ideal for cooking a turkey! Your turkey won’t be too browned and it will stay tender and moist inside. With this pot, you can cook your turkey uncovered and cook it for 30 minutes for each kilogram.
Large lettuce leaves to reheat the turkey
If you want to reheat your turkey in the oven, place a few large lettuce leaves on top so that your turkey remains as tender and moist as before. A grandmother’s trick that works really well to keep meat tender and juicy.
Adequate amount of stuffing in the turkey
It is recommended to put about 300ml of stuffing for each kilo of turkey. Wait until the turkey is cool before adding the stuffing. Also, don’t pack the stuffing too much inside.
Choose good stuffing bases
To make a stuffing for the turkey, you can use cooked rice, sausage meat or bread crumbs as a base. The bread crumb is ideal for a good soft and juicy stuffing. You will love!
The right cooking temperature
If you are cooking a whole turkey, the internal temperature should reach 82 Celsius. Turkey cooking is extremely important if you want to eat a moist and tender turkey.
Regardless of the piece of meat, cooking is extremely important as you will discover in this article: Cooking ham.
Use a cooking bag to cook the turkey
Many people buy a brown bag that you can find in a grocery store. You put butter on your turkey and sprinkle it with paprika. You then put the turkey in the cooking bag and seal it. All you have to do is put the turkey in the oven at 165C.
The right size turkey for the number of people
To make sure there will be enough turkey for everyone, just allow 1lb of turkey per person. So if you are for example 5 people, buy a turkey of at least 5 lbs. If there are more of you, say 10 people, the size of the turkey should be 10-12 pounds.
The turkey is ready for Christmas dinner but not the starters? Come and discover our recipe ideas in this other article: Appetizers for Christmas.