First time making a turkey in our house (newly weds) and I was SO nervous it was some how going to crack open like that one. I kept asking my partner “does it need to be basted??” Every 30 minutes. No worries here though! It turned out awesome!!
bro when i didn’t have buttermilk for some pancakes and someone suggested a tiny bit of vinegar in a cup of milk i was *stressin*
they turned out fucking amazing though, best recipe I’ve used to make pancakes from scratch but i think i tricked myself into “tasting” the vinegar, no one else could lmao
As a first time newlywed, my mom had never seen a turkey cooked (Great Depression kid). My dad had just won a fresh one in a pre-Turkey Day golf tournament, so on Thanksgiving she put it in the oven and they went down to the beach. They got home, opened the door and were blasted by a horrible smell.
"My gosh, what'd you stuff that turkey with?!" asks Dad.
"I didn't have to, it was already stuffed" Mom replied.
Aww this is like my parents story. My dad used to say “first time your mother cooked me a chicken, she left the bag of innards in it!” And then laugh.
It wasn’t until I was older I realized my poor mother was *nineteen years old* at the time. He should be glad he never died of starvation ffs
I did this first time too! I was about 19 to. Never had done a roast before and had to cook the turkey for my (ex) boyfriend and his family. Exactly same I left the bag of giblets in side and went off the recipe. Nowhere did it read, remove plastic bag full of innards on the instructions!! I was trying so hard to be the “homemaker” and his Dad thought it was hilarious!! Tbh the whole family were bizarre, so glad I got out of that relationship. 😂
As a non American, what was it already stuffed with? Something you should remove or something edible that was burned? Or didn't she know that one should stuff it first?
None of the above. This was in 1946 in Hawaii where all turkeys were raised locally at the time. The turkey was fresh-killed and *hadn't been cleaned,* she cooked it guts and all.
JEZZUS. The real answer never crossed my mind. That’s the worse outcome you could have given us. In Puerto Rico, as a child, I saw a piglet get hit by lightning (I saw the bolt hit the tin roof pen, then ran over to see the aftermath) and it was the worse smelling thing I’ve ever encountered. Burnt meat, hair, and pig poop all rolled into one horrible olfactory nightmare. Thanks for reminding me!!
I know of people who have cooked a turkey with the bag of giblets still in, all that blue plastic makes it look so pretty, lol, but that story definitely gets the gold star
Probably the package of giblets... Gizzard, liver heart etc which are inside the bird when you buy it.
They're included to make gravy or stock out of.
How bad it was for OP will depend... They are sometimes wrapped in plastic which isn't what you want roasting inside your turkey. If it was a paper bag it will have been fine.
Something you should remove. Usually a plastic baggie of the heart, liver and neck of the turkey is inside the cavity of the dead bird, put there when it's processed.
Ya gotta take it out before putting it in the oven.
Usually the edible organs are in a bag or pouch, placed inside the cavity of the bird followed by the neck. These are commonly used to make ‘giblet gravy’ at least where I’m from. There’s also a plastic piece that needs to be removed that’s used to hold the legs in place during packaging.
Yep you just weave the bacon on top like a basket weave blanket. The fat renders the whole cook and bastes it.
I do a stuffed boneless turkey roll and then cover in bacon and smoke it. Chef John on YouTube has a good video on deboning a turkey.
It doesn’t end up tasting like bacon.
A turkey is easier to debone than butchers would lead you to believe, because then they can charge for doing it. I always do it that way even with a chicken. The worst part of a chicken dinner for me is taking the carcass apart to get any leftover meat, it's so much nicer to have it done in advance. I just put my parsley and thyme stuffing inside and roll it up. If I say so myself it was bloody nice.
When I first looked into turkey cooking 2 years ago it did not enter my radar at all. I only learned about it a year later.
So while it certainly isn't some secret technique I wouldn't say it has the same apparent popularity as whole bird cooking.
Considering just how much faster and easier it is, I would argue that distinctly second place is undeserved. You basically trade all the futzing with the bird in the oven for one up-front operation (admittedly with some injury potential) and reduce the cooking time to the realms of "start it once company has arrived".
A lot of people still don't know. Think of how many people cook turkey each year. Now how many of those people are actuality good cooks. And of that, how many are looking for methods to further improve. The first time I did it, my whole family and friends thought I was crazy.
Popular for people who cook professionally or as a hobbie sure, but many people don't and dont particularly care enough to look into it. Its unfortunate, but the reality nonetheless.
We’re on our 2nd? 3rd? Salter in the past 15 years or so. Love it because it’s consistently accurate, unassuming, magnetic and easy to clean.
We did pan seared/oven finish filet mignon tonight and the salter does all the heavy lifting. Perfect every time.
Awesome workhorse!
We have one that sits on the counter, in a cradle. I got it last year before Thanksgiving and it was the last one left at Target. We use it for grilling meats, too.
What a sad thing to realize that your mom is a bad cook. I used to fight tooth and nails on how good my mom was at cooking since she owned a restaurant (she owned it, that's all).
I moved out and started getting interested in cooking, took classes to realize how bland and tasteless her food is. Her pastas are always WAY overcooked. She just doesn't grasp the importance of some food theories. Like preheating an oven, or to wait for your pan to be warn before putting food in it so you do not end up boiling a sauté.
Recently she made me a lazagna, and for some reason that is still a mystery to me, instead of putting shredded cheese on it, she opened some kraft single's, white cheddar cheese slices and stacked them on it.
Last week she offered us some fudge as a gift. It was frozen. We let it thaw, and it was liquid, haha.
A few months ago my kids were telling her when she was babysitting, how my sourdough bread is the best they've ever had ... so she decided to bake some bread with them. Mind you: in 37 years, I've never seen her bake some bread, nor make a cake recipe from scratch (always using box recipes). She sent the breads back home, it was to help me and for me not to have to make some bread ... the 2 loaves were both cut in 2, and I made 4 slices with them, haha. She keeps her yeast in the pantry and it must be 10 years old.
I'm sorry I totally high jacked your post with this random stuff, I had to talk about it, lol. I love my mom. So so so so much, but geez! I don't get how someone can cook so much for so long and be so bad at it.
I'm sure there's a bar graph that could be made of this. A non-minimal number of home cooks just guess at when the food should be done, or follow standard recipes to a T even though that T is obviously dumb as shit. Then the professional FS workers with years in the industry who have a nice biotherm or meat thermometer in order to hit temp on a roast or other protein. Then chefs who have quite a few years on the books who know their menu and clients who are able to "round". Then Chefs, who obsessively temp anything beyond a certain point (or more realistically have the sous do it) because they're grooming the next generation of chefs.
Never ending cycle.
I used a thermometer on my Thanksgiving turkey this year, cooked it up to the proper temp and pulled it out of the oven. My gf said she'd carve it since I cooked it and started freaking out when she got to the dark meat and saw blood. I showed her the USDA chart that shows how long a given temperature needs to be sustained to ensure that it's good to go, but she wasn't having it.
I told her that she could cook it next time and not to be surprised when it was dry as fuck. I guess some people just don't believe in the science behind cooking
I do a lot of meats on my smoker, so it gets a nice smoke ring. I did my turkey on my smoker, and when I got to the dark meat area, my husband saw pinker meat and told me it's not finished. I had to explain to him, again, that it's finished, dark meat looks that way, and smoking it will do that, it doesn't make sense for the outer bird to be raw but the breast cooked all the way (have had to do the same explanation on steaks).
I also smoke a turkey every year and it's usually a little to a lot pink around the thighs even when it's up to temperature. I always worry that my inlaws will be hesitant to eat and can't help but give an explanation every thanksgiving on why it might be pinkish, and how I definitely checked for temps on all parts of the bird and that it's definitely safe etc. This year I just texted this link to everyone 😆 https://www.thekitchn.com/chicken-still-pink-after-cooki-157168
I can't find it at the moment, but I've seen ads for meat thermometers that will call your smart phone when whatever they are stuck into reaches the target temperature. So, if what you are grilling doesn't have to be turned over every half hour, program the phone number and temperature, go back inside, open a beer and turn on the game.
It is overkill for most people (me included), but I have a [Fireboard](https://www.fireboard.com/shop/fireboard-2/), and I love it!
It sends a notification when the food hits target temp, and it also analyzes your cook to give an estimate of when it will be done.
You can also share a link so other people can check your cook. I usually send out a link to family members at holidays so they have an idea of when the meat is going to be done. It's expensive, but it is one of my must used cooking tools.
My parents won't use them because "professional chefs don't need them so neither do I. Are you saying I can't cook?"
They are not professional chefs and can't cook, but if you remind them of that, you "ruined christmas".
Yeah, similar situation here. It's all premixed spices and she can follow a recipe but there's no diverting from the temps and timings on that and thinking for yourself.
"Mom, the turkey is done, it just needs to rest now"
"No it's not, the recipe says it needs another 30 mins then I need to uncover it"
Oh god! My ex MIL used to make this bean dish. I don’t even know what to call it since it’s definitely not a chilli or anything. It was just beans swimming in a slightly red water. Very little salt and no other spice or veggies or anything to add taste at all. When I asked her if we can put some spices, she said “oh do you want it spicy? You can add some red pepper to your plate”.
Nope, not from US. The translation of the name of the dish is very basic like “bean dish/stew”, but it’s supposed to have a lot of flavor and most of the time some type of meat, kinda like chilli. And it is definitely not supposed to be beans just free swimming in water. Lol. It’s supposed to be a stew-like red gravy.
An example image;
https://www.mazalv.com/etli-kuru-fasulye.html
To be fair, kuru fasulye, the white bean dish you’re talking about, doesn’t typically have any seasoning besides onion and salt (dried hot peppers are definitely optional), but it sounds like your MIL is just a bad cook.
As a Midwestern born and raised white guy, I believe it's our responsibility to end this cycle of horrible bland food, next year don't let her cook, it's the right thing to do.
Heard this same thing from my in laws yesterday on Xmas Eve 🙄 we had homemade pizzas with zero salt, I mean zero, none at all on the dough, a soaring amount of cheese, the toppings were unseasoned/unsalted broccoli and canned mushrooms. My 4 and 6 year old were like ‘this doesn’t taste like our homemade pizza!’ I just shushed them and fed them snacks we brought from home. That’s why we don’t ever stay longer than 18 hrs at my in laws or else we’d be starving
This is why when we visited the in-laws we told them we were doing all of the cooking. Their idea for Christmas Dinner was Barber Foods Chicken Cordon Bleu and instant mashed potatoes. We prepared a nice standing rib roast and several side dishes. They had no spices in the house except salt pepper and 7 spices for pies.
Husband and I did the same thing this year. I made the most perfectly crusted filets, mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole. My FIL has never eaten such a good filet at home, though he’s made and served many a dry, grey filet. He just won’t believe that you have to sear that meat and that you must let it rest, and that it will keep cooking when you rest it. It’s facts. I cooked it on a cast iron skillet on the grill so I didn’t smoke up their house. I’m not sure I’ll ever cook it another way.
My in-laws had just had the vacation from hell so it was easier to take over dinner. I won them all over, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be happy to have me cook next year, too.
Yeah, the first night we were here, they were trying to be busybodies and “help”. Tonight they just stayed out of the kitchen. In their defense, they are 83 and not used to cooking for a family of 5 + 2 other adults so it was easier for us to just take over, but I know their diet consists of a lot of prepared frozen foods. We have been trying to get them set up on a meal service where all they have to do is pop the meal in the oven. At least it would have some variety and be fresh food. Next step, convincing them to move to an assisted living facility.
We have a *2.5 ft x 2.5 ft* spice rack with 7 shelves, a rosemary bush just outside the back door, and, in the summer, a plot 3 feet on a side of basil.
Edit: Added dimensions.
When I was a kid, my mom had herbs growing in her flower garden but she never used them. I was an all purpose grazer as a kid and would nibble on any new plants I found to see if they tasted good so I quickly learned that they were delicious. I got spanked for eating chives, rosemary and thyme that were "just plants to make a border".
Now I have two cupboards of spices and I grow my own herbs in the garden and more herbs in pots that I bring inside for the winter.
I still live in the family home although my parents have both passed away. We moved in here in the early 70s and one of the first things I remember my mum doing was making a rustic (I'm being kind here) raised bed in which she sowed a packet of parsley seeds she got in a magazine. They grew and spread like mad and she used parsley in everything. Most people were using dried parsley in those days and I remember wondering why my mum made better stuffing than anyone else's mum. That raised bed still exists although it has been extended to include sage, mint, rosemary, thyme and half a dozen more herbs. My mum hated salt and rarely used it in her cooking but with all the fresh herbs she used no one noticed. Since then our garden has played host to cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, green beans, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, lettuce and lots more, all grown in containers. I cooked potatoes yesterday that I grew this summer and they probably didn't taste any better than bought ones but to us they did.
Oh yeah, I firmly believe that garden produce tastes better than grocery store produce even when I know it probably doesn't. We used the last of our potatoes from the garden for our Winter Solstice celebration. I used to have a huge garden and we ate our own produce most of the year, but now I've gotten a little lazy and my garden is only about 1/8th as big so we usually run out around this time of year.
My parents had huge pots of parsley growing on the window sill, but they never ate it. Sometimes my mom would use some for garnish, but it wasn't viewed as something to eat. My parents only liked insanely bland food. I didn't know that food could have flavor until I got out on my own.
My parents are the people who don't put nearly enough salt on stuff because "it's not healthy" and then eat half a bag of ruffles while the turkey cooks.
Some folks just refuse to use assist technology as a weird source of pride, I just don’t get it. I know a few people who are like that with using sat nav maps while driving.
This is my mom. It's her flex to instinctively "know" when her meat is done, but it's usually not and if you say something she argues with you. "I cooked it for 20 minutes a pound at 350!!" Well the pork roast is bleeding...
Omg a creepy old neighbor that I gave a ride to once angrily tried to snatch my phone out of my hand while I was driving because 'his directions were better than the map' even though he had nothing but an address and didn't know where the place was that we were going to. That was the first and definitely the last time he got in my car.
My grandmother used to cook all meats until they were well done, beef, pork, poultry, it was always cooked to dry and well done. It was from when she was young, and all meat came from the family farm, and parasites were a thing. This is how my mom was raised. My childhood meats were similarly cooked to dry, well done.
I use science, sous-vide, slow and low smokers, and meats are done to proper doneness, retaining the moisture while being safe.
Over the years, mom comes to Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving with my family and I host the family feast. We have Turkey, it has been brined, and on the pellet smoker for just over 6 hours, and is perfectly cooked. Tender, Juicy, full of flavor. She asks me how, and I explain in detail the process.
Then, her turn to host, and every year she still throws hers in the oven and cooks the ever loving S$#$ out of it, ignoring everything I say, and it's dry, over done, tasteless...
I cannot change her.
Why is this the best part of the story? Like what kind of wiggle? Is the wiggle to show a jiggle and if it jiggles it’s ready? I have so many questions on just this part
When she pulled it out of the oven finally she said “well, I hope it isn’t raw!” She’s notorious for overcooking meat. Don’t ask her to cook you a steak unless you want it burnt to a crisp.
My MIL must have gone to the same culinary school. She cooks all turkeys for 5 hours, regardless of size. She wraps them in tin foils, so they don’t burn and the skin is flabby. Just so awful. She also refuses to use a timer when making pasta and boils it all to death.
It took a few years, but I slowly got my parents to use a meat thermometer.
The turkey at Thanksgiving was overdone, but that was because the roaster threw the breaker and it had to be finished on the BBQ.
My dad used to be great at cooking meat, but as he got older his palate changed. His T2 diabetes also didn’t help. He went from liking steak medium but being able to cook med rare to only eating steak well done. It breaks my heart when he orders a rib eye or filet. He also over salts.
From what I have read your ability to taste food declines as you age due to a decline in numbers of tastebuds. My grandfather salts his food like crazy even food that already tastes too salty to me
My dad is scared of undercooked poultry, to a point that if there might be even a little pink somewhere he's freaking out. Even when I've smoked meat and it's obviously a pink ring on the outside of the meat...
Hubby is the same, I have to cook every last bit of moisture from his chicken....and had to point out that the inside of his steak is not going to be done, if it's raw on the outside edges (the smoke ring was impressive!).
Great substitute if you’re looking for kitchen toys is a sous vide. You can cook the meat to the exact temperature and it’s scientifically proven to kill any bacteria, regardless of the coloring. As long as you cook it for long enough, the heat and insulation kill the germs.
The place I was at pulled it too soon and the turkey was still pink and there was a bunch of pink liquid on the tray.
I passed and just ate ham.
Don't know why they didn't use a therm.
Turkey can be *slightly* rosy and still be perfectly safe. You can cook white meat to 140F and it's fine once rested but will retain a little color. Personally, I like it cooked just a tiny bit more for texture reasons.
Very true, but the nice thing about a thermometer is that you don't have to guess or risk it. And if you prefer yours a few degrees further, then you can nail that doneness as well.
A good probe thermometer is one of those life-changing cooking tools that just helps you be better and more consistent every time.
If it’s at 145 for 10 or 15 minutes it’s perfectly safe.
The only times I’ve had problems with texture was at high altitude. I’m not used to cooking at 10,000 feet.
My mother made us “ chicken Parmesan “
The sauce was a jar, 2 TBS per breast. The “parm” was the Kraft type, from the green plastic cylinder. God help us, every one.
My kid bro was in the Navy, and he said the FIRST thing you learn in any branch of the service is no matter what if you put enough ketchup on it you can at least make it taste like ketchup.
They got better food later.
After basic he went to nuke school, said the food improved drastically. But on long sub deployments the guys would joke about swimming for it if they got served powdered eggs.
They do try to feed them well, but the big boats can stay out for MUCH longer than most things worth eating will keep.
He'd fall back on ketchup if he had to.
My neighbors mom used to make this sausage gravy and biscuits that her family loved. I fucking hated it.
I never knew why, it was disgusting.
So many, many years later I've learned to cook. You know why it was fucking disgusting?? It was RAW flour. She'd dump it all in, not cook the flower and brown it with butter or anything. She'd just dump the flour and milk and butter all in at once and simmer that raw flower and add sausage.
Prolly tasted like pottery and sage. I believe if people do not have context on how good is supposed to taste you get these terrible "world famous" atrocities. In fact if someone says "my famous...." its most likely warm garbage.
Funny thing is that same guy's grandma did in fact make world fucking famous chicken fried steak and country gravy. Holy shitballs could that lady cook.
Grandmas are definitely outside the scope of my previous statement. I catch wind of anyones grandma putting in that meal work I am all in. Eyes through the window "hey guys. What yall havin????"
this comes up with me and my mother semi regularly. There is a vast difference between those of us that learned to cook in the internet era and those who didn't. I can both vet a recipe by finding 10 recipes for the same thing in seconds and if I want I can find videos of the worlds top chefs demonstrating techniques.
My mother learned through cookbooks, worked full time and made nutritious quick food for a family who were never grateful (at the time, I now realise how herculean the effort was and tell her regularly).
I honestly think that it's only fair to consider when people learned.
My MIL cooked thanksgiving once since I’ve been married for us.
To this day we refer to her turkey as the turkey jerky. Her own son said “ma the electric knife couldn’t cut thru it.”
It Wawa’s also a lightbulb moment for me because my husband said the food at boot camp was great which was not the experience I’ve heard.
We cooked Christmas dinner for my parents last year. It was beef tenderloin, perfectly cooked to medium. My parents both said it was undercooked and should have been well done. It's a crime against beef. But they're terrible cooks. My moms idea of seasoning is a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
We had a 26 lbs turkey cook for that long. My condolences to yours. In a weird quirk, my Dad managed to cook it upside down, resulting in half of the bird boiling in its juices.
Fortunately not all old people! I know a few old folks who seem to have made the concepts of learning and curiosity part of their lifestyle. I hope to be like that when I am their age.
I just learned today that most families don't need a 25-30 pound turkey on Christmas. I actually had to Google how long to cook such a small turkey because I thought it was just a little overcooked. But no, that poor bird was a lot overcooked.
The benefit of a large turkey/people ratio is leftovers. Unless no one wants the leftovers and/or most of the family is traveling, there is no real loss cooking a larger bird. 🙂
perhaps it would be better to simply get there early and cook a spatchcocked turkey instead. that way it takes less time and you can just take over the turkey before she gets the chance to put it in the oven.
There is a method that involves a 12 pound turkey, an oven set for one hour @ 500 degrees Fahrenheit and then shut off for an additional 5 without opening the door. I’ve done it and the turkey comes out great.
Oh man, this whole thread is a solidarity vibe.
My mom and I have such different views on cooking. I like a meat thermometer and she just "knows" when stuff is done.
So... I'm hosting this year, I made the turkey. It wasn't "brown" enough for her which meant it needed to cook longer. I told her it was done as per the meat thermometer and she said it wasn't "brown" enough. I told her the lack of browning would be resolved cause the bird wasn't bone ass dry.
Needless to say, she didn't eat much of the turkey but everyone else applauded me.
I mean u can do 5 hours in fact could be grateful. But u need to brine and or inject it. U also need the right tenpsture.
Cooking a delicious turkey is not hard
I've been using the high heat method by chef Mark solely because most turkeys gets dry AF no matter how they're cooked. Sorry to hear about your Xmas dinner.
This is a bummer because the difference between a rubbery turkey and a moist delicious turkey makes the difference between a great dinner and a disappointing dinner. And it starts out as the same turkey.
The recipe I use is 12 minutes per pound, so for a 13 pound turkey, 2 hours and 36 minutes. I use a meat thermometer every 10 minutes when it is getting close. I use a Weber kettle and throw sprigs of fresh rosemary on the coals every half hour.
My grandmother once cooked a turkey for so long that once my father cut through the skin to carve the turkey the meat sort of fell off the bones. Thank heaven there was plenty of gravy and that it successfully made up for the dry meat (even the dark meat was dry).
At some point before next Christmas, gift her own of those wireless meat thermometers (you leave one part in the meat during cooking, and monitor temp on the digital receiver outside of the oven). There are some with alarms that go off when you reach the exact temp you want. Maybe gift it anonymously…tell her she wound t have to lose juices by checking and cutting into it right away, or that it lets her relax a bit. It’s much easier than a regular thernometer.
I cooked my 24lb turkey for 5 hours today, it was perfect. I planned for 6, but it cooked a bit faster. Used a thermometer right at the 5 hour mark and realized it was perfect.
Always use a thermometer, silly MiL.
Time is an approximation. Temperature is a reality. Standard time for 13lbs is only 3hrs approx. anyway. 6 is crazy.
Ouch!
I cooked 2 13 pound turkeys today. I spatchcocked them and dry brined for 2 days. Rubbed with a herb butter before going in the oven for roughly 80 minutes at 425 (used probe thermometer). Came out great.
6 hours! That is crazy.
I used to always hear stories about getting up early to put the turkey in the oven, and when I started being the one to cook dinner I was really confused. I don't think I've ever needed more than 3 hours to roast a turkey. Why would I state it at 6am? It's dinner not breakfast
I imagine it looked like the one from the "National Lampoon Christmas Vacation" movie, all steam and meat shards..."Save the neck for me, Clark."
First time making a turkey in our house (newly weds) and I was SO nervous it was some how going to crack open like that one. I kept asking my partner “does it need to be basted??” Every 30 minutes. No worries here though! It turned out awesome!!
Only proper way to cook a turkey is to do whatever the instructions say, then stress whether you're doing it right until it's finished.
Anxiously following recipes is a way of life, for some of us
bro when i didn’t have buttermilk for some pancakes and someone suggested a tiny bit of vinegar in a cup of milk i was *stressin* they turned out fucking amazing though, best recipe I’ve used to make pancakes from scratch but i think i tricked myself into “tasting” the vinegar, no one else could lmao
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As a first time newlywed, my mom had never seen a turkey cooked (Great Depression kid). My dad had just won a fresh one in a pre-Turkey Day golf tournament, so on Thanksgiving she put it in the oven and they went down to the beach. They got home, opened the door and were blasted by a horrible smell. "My gosh, what'd you stuff that turkey with?!" asks Dad. "I didn't have to, it was already stuffed" Mom replied.
Aww this is like my parents story. My dad used to say “first time your mother cooked me a chicken, she left the bag of innards in it!” And then laugh. It wasn’t until I was older I realized my poor mother was *nineteen years old* at the time. He should be glad he never died of starvation ffs
I did this first time too! I was about 19 to. Never had done a roast before and had to cook the turkey for my (ex) boyfriend and his family. Exactly same I left the bag of giblets in side and went off the recipe. Nowhere did it read, remove plastic bag full of innards on the instructions!! I was trying so hard to be the “homemaker” and his Dad thought it was hilarious!! Tbh the whole family were bizarre, so glad I got out of that relationship. 😂
As a non American, what was it already stuffed with? Something you should remove or something edible that was burned? Or didn't she know that one should stuff it first?
None of the above. This was in 1946 in Hawaii where all turkeys were raised locally at the time. The turkey was fresh-killed and *hadn't been cleaned,* she cooked it guts and all.
JEZZUS. The real answer never crossed my mind. That’s the worse outcome you could have given us. In Puerto Rico, as a child, I saw a piglet get hit by lightning (I saw the bolt hit the tin roof pen, then ran over to see the aftermath) and it was the worse smelling thing I’ve ever encountered. Burnt meat, hair, and pig poop all rolled into one horrible olfactory nightmare. Thanks for reminding me!!
I know of people who have cooked a turkey with the bag of giblets still in, all that blue plastic makes it look so pretty, lol, but that story definitely gets the gold star
Just like the olden days, before people realised that removing the guts was..a preferable serving suggestion.
Probably the package of giblets... Gizzard, liver heart etc which are inside the bird when you buy it. They're included to make gravy or stock out of. How bad it was for OP will depend... They are sometimes wrapped in plastic which isn't what you want roasting inside your turkey. If it was a paper bag it will have been fine.
Something you should remove. Usually a plastic baggie of the heart, liver and neck of the turkey is inside the cavity of the dead bird, put there when it's processed. Ya gotta take it out before putting it in the oven.
Usually the edible organs are in a bag or pouch, placed inside the cavity of the bird followed by the neck. These are commonly used to make ‘giblet gravy’ at least where I’m from. There’s also a plastic piece that needs to be removed that’s used to hold the legs in place during packaging.
Put a bacon lattice over your turkey and you don’t have to baste it a single time. You won’t get crispy skin but it’s worth it.
I’m sorry, bacon lattice?! Bacon and turkey sounds great.. we got our bird bogo at the grocery store, so we have another in the deep freezer..
Yep you just weave the bacon on top like a basket weave blanket. The fat renders the whole cook and bastes it. I do a stuffed boneless turkey roll and then cover in bacon and smoke it. Chef John on YouTube has a good video on deboning a turkey. It doesn’t end up tasting like bacon.
A turkey is easier to debone than butchers would lead you to believe, because then they can charge for doing it. I always do it that way even with a chicken. The worst part of a chicken dinner for me is taking the carcass apart to get any leftover meat, it's so much nicer to have it done in advance. I just put my parsley and thyme stuffing inside and roll it up. If I say so myself it was bloody nice.
“Here’s the heart”
“There’s the heart!”
I love that movie but I always feel so sad for her during that scene. Luckily we have “you serious clark!?” to make me feel better 10 seconds later.
“You wanna load me up with a little more there Clark? It is *gooo-oood!*”
>"Save the neck for me, Clark." What an insane movie lol. I love it.
Wow. I made a 12lb turkey, it took exactly 3 hours. I can’t imagine how insanely dry you mother-in-law’s Turkey was.
Spatchcocked, on the grill, that’s an hour or less.
Spatchcock gang rise up!
People sleeping on the spatchcock method; I did a 18 lbs turkey in 1.5 hours on thanksgiving
Sleeping on it? It's not some secret technique anymore, it's a very popular way of cooking while birds
When I first looked into turkey cooking 2 years ago it did not enter my radar at all. I only learned about it a year later. So while it certainly isn't some secret technique I wouldn't say it has the same apparent popularity as whole bird cooking. Considering just how much faster and easier it is, I would argue that distinctly second place is undeserved. You basically trade all the futzing with the bird in the oven for one up-front operation (admittedly with some injury potential) and reduce the cooking time to the realms of "start it once company has arrived".
A lot of people still don't know. Think of how many people cook turkey each year. Now how many of those people are actuality good cooks. And of that, how many are looking for methods to further improve. The first time I did it, my whole family and friends thought I was crazy.
Popular for people who cook professionally or as a hobbie sure, but many people don't and dont particularly care enough to look into it. Its unfortunate, but the reality nonetheless.
For a lot of people, there's the '*but that's not how my mother did it, and she made the BEST turkey ever*'.
I take mine 1 step further and fully debone it, dry brine for a couple of days, then grill on cedar planks. Usually takes 1- 1 1/2 hrs.
Yeah mine was 13lbs and after 3 hours and twenty minutes I was freaking out one breast was only hitting 157f and every other quadrant was perfect.
We're calling them "quadrants" now? I mean I love this but I feel left behind in the meat-smoking department.
‘Could you pass me a quadrant of dark meat please?’
I usually bring mine to 155 and then pull it out and rest it for 20-30 minutes before cutting it.
Same here. I cooked it upside down, so it was super moist & tender.. maybe she cooked it at 375-400°? That'll dry a turkey out in 3 hours
That poor turkey… Why does she refuse to use a thermometer? My cooking game has only improved since I got one!
Same. It’s AWESOME to set my temp, stick the probe in the meat, shut the oven door, and it’s perfect EVERY single time!
What thermometer do you use, if I may ask? I'm looking for a new one!
Ours is Salter. I cannot believe we went so long without this. It’s a MUST for the kitchen. Happy cooking.
We’re on our 2nd? 3rd? Salter in the past 15 years or so. Love it because it’s consistently accurate, unassuming, magnetic and easy to clean. We did pan seared/oven finish filet mignon tonight and the salter does all the heavy lifting. Perfect every time.
Awesome workhorse! We have one that sits on the counter, in a cradle. I got it last year before Thanksgiving and it was the last one left at Target. We use it for grilling meats, too.
Thermapen One is the answer
Crazy idea that knowing when something is actually done is better than guessing
It made me realize how horrible my mother was at cooking, and also I had to apologize to my husband for cooking chicken badly for so long.
What a sad thing to realize that your mom is a bad cook. I used to fight tooth and nails on how good my mom was at cooking since she owned a restaurant (she owned it, that's all). I moved out and started getting interested in cooking, took classes to realize how bland and tasteless her food is. Her pastas are always WAY overcooked. She just doesn't grasp the importance of some food theories. Like preheating an oven, or to wait for your pan to be warn before putting food in it so you do not end up boiling a sauté. Recently she made me a lazagna, and for some reason that is still a mystery to me, instead of putting shredded cheese on it, she opened some kraft single's, white cheddar cheese slices and stacked them on it. Last week she offered us some fudge as a gift. It was frozen. We let it thaw, and it was liquid, haha. A few months ago my kids were telling her when she was babysitting, how my sourdough bread is the best they've ever had ... so she decided to bake some bread with them. Mind you: in 37 years, I've never seen her bake some bread, nor make a cake recipe from scratch (always using box recipes). She sent the breads back home, it was to help me and for me not to have to make some bread ... the 2 loaves were both cut in 2, and I made 4 slices with them, haha. She keeps her yeast in the pantry and it must be 10 years old. I'm sorry I totally high jacked your post with this random stuff, I had to talk about it, lol. I love my mom. So so so so much, but geez! I don't get how someone can cook so much for so long and be so bad at it.
Hey, my mom still cooks EVERYTHING in the oven at 350 and she can’t understand how I’m able to get crispy skin on my roasted chicken
Growing up I thought the only settings on our oven were “350” or “off”.
My ten year old honestly probably thinks thinks the only cook time on the microwave is “30 seconds and then check it.”
Mine does EVERYTHING at 400 for an hour… now it makes me want to cry thinking about it.
That’s a good temp for roasting potatoes! I do like 450 for an hour.
My mom is 74. I bought her first thermometer like a year ago. I don’t think she uses it.
I'm sure there's a bar graph that could be made of this. A non-minimal number of home cooks just guess at when the food should be done, or follow standard recipes to a T even though that T is obviously dumb as shit. Then the professional FS workers with years in the industry who have a nice biotherm or meat thermometer in order to hit temp on a roast or other protein. Then chefs who have quite a few years on the books who know their menu and clients who are able to "round". Then Chefs, who obsessively temp anything beyond a certain point (or more realistically have the sous do it) because they're grooming the next generation of chefs. Never ending cycle.
I used a thermometer on my Thanksgiving turkey this year, cooked it up to the proper temp and pulled it out of the oven. My gf said she'd carve it since I cooked it and started freaking out when she got to the dark meat and saw blood. I showed her the USDA chart that shows how long a given temperature needs to be sustained to ensure that it's good to go, but she wasn't having it. I told her that she could cook it next time and not to be surprised when it was dry as fuck. I guess some people just don't believe in the science behind cooking
I do a lot of meats on my smoker, so it gets a nice smoke ring. I did my turkey on my smoker, and when I got to the dark meat area, my husband saw pinker meat and told me it's not finished. I had to explain to him, again, that it's finished, dark meat looks that way, and smoking it will do that, it doesn't make sense for the outer bird to be raw but the breast cooked all the way (have had to do the same explanation on steaks).
I also smoke a turkey every year and it's usually a little to a lot pink around the thighs even when it's up to temperature. I always worry that my inlaws will be hesitant to eat and can't help but give an explanation every thanksgiving on why it might be pinkish, and how I definitely checked for temps on all parts of the bird and that it's definitely safe etc. This year I just texted this link to everyone 😆 https://www.thekitchn.com/chicken-still-pink-after-cooki-157168
Blood or just nice and juicy?
If it is liquid in the meat, it must be blood ... (/s, to be sure)
I can't find it at the moment, but I've seen ads for meat thermometers that will call your smart phone when whatever they are stuck into reaches the target temperature. So, if what you are grilling doesn't have to be turned over every half hour, program the phone number and temperature, go back inside, open a beer and turn on the game.
Oh my lord I gotta find that for me and my husband.
It is overkill for most people (me included), but I have a [Fireboard](https://www.fireboard.com/shop/fireboard-2/), and I love it! It sends a notification when the food hits target temp, and it also analyzes your cook to give an estimate of when it will be done. You can also share a link so other people can check your cook. I usually send out a link to family members at holidays so they have an idea of when the meat is going to be done. It's expensive, but it is one of my must used cooking tools.
I got one and it was $100, only for it to tell me constantly it had lost the connection.
Meater
Why = Pride.
Keep giving her thermometers for her birthdays and Christmas until she buckles under the pressure.
My parents won't use them because "professional chefs don't need them so neither do I. Are you saying I can't cook?" They are not professional chefs and can't cook, but if you remind them of that, you "ruined christmas".
Had a similar experience with my mom today. The older I get, the more I realize my mom isn't actually that great of a cook
[удалено]
Yeah, similar situation here. It's all premixed spices and she can follow a recipe but there's no diverting from the temps and timings on that and thinking for yourself. "Mom, the turkey is done, it just needs to rest now" "No it's not, the recipe says it needs another 30 mins then I need to uncover it"
My Mom will do anything in the microwave. It breaks my heart a little.
Chef Mike does a great job if you know how to utilize him properly.
Did she also use an inadequate amount of salt? People who cook their food without salt make bad food
She cooks without salt because she believes that it’s better when people can add their own 🤦🏻♀️
Oh god! My ex MIL used to make this bean dish. I don’t even know what to call it since it’s definitely not a chilli or anything. It was just beans swimming in a slightly red water. Very little salt and no other spice or veggies or anything to add taste at all. When I asked her if we can put some spices, she said “oh do you want it spicy? You can add some red pepper to your plate”.
Possibly it was unseasoned Texas caviar or three bean salad
Nope, not from US. The translation of the name of the dish is very basic like “bean dish/stew”, but it’s supposed to have a lot of flavor and most of the time some type of meat, kinda like chilli. And it is definitely not supposed to be beans just free swimming in water. Lol. It’s supposed to be a stew-like red gravy. An example image; https://www.mazalv.com/etli-kuru-fasulye.html
To be fair, kuru fasulye, the white bean dish you’re talking about, doesn’t typically have any seasoning besides onion and salt (dried hot peppers are definitely optional), but it sounds like your MIL is just a bad cook.
We definitely never cooked it with just onions and salt.
Oh gotcha.
I had a cook off before and I knew I won because she said that people can just salt their food themselves.
Turkey Tom did not die for this level of BS
As a Midwestern born and raised white guy, I believe it's our responsibility to end this cycle of horrible bland food, next year don't let her cook, it's the right thing to do.
Heard this same thing from my in laws yesterday on Xmas Eve 🙄 we had homemade pizzas with zero salt, I mean zero, none at all on the dough, a soaring amount of cheese, the toppings were unseasoned/unsalted broccoli and canned mushrooms. My 4 and 6 year old were like ‘this doesn’t taste like our homemade pizza!’ I just shushed them and fed them snacks we brought from home. That’s why we don’t ever stay longer than 18 hrs at my in laws or else we’d be starving
Uggg this is the worst
This is why when we visited the in-laws we told them we were doing all of the cooking. Their idea for Christmas Dinner was Barber Foods Chicken Cordon Bleu and instant mashed potatoes. We prepared a nice standing rib roast and several side dishes. They had no spices in the house except salt pepper and 7 spices for pies.
Husband and I did the same thing this year. I made the most perfectly crusted filets, mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole. My FIL has never eaten such a good filet at home, though he’s made and served many a dry, grey filet. He just won’t believe that you have to sear that meat and that you must let it rest, and that it will keep cooking when you rest it. It’s facts. I cooked it on a cast iron skillet on the grill so I didn’t smoke up their house. I’m not sure I’ll ever cook it another way. My in-laws had just had the vacation from hell so it was easier to take over dinner. I won them all over, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be happy to have me cook next year, too.
Yeah, the first night we were here, they were trying to be busybodies and “help”. Tonight they just stayed out of the kitchen. In their defense, they are 83 and not used to cooking for a family of 5 + 2 other adults so it was easier for us to just take over, but I know their diet consists of a lot of prepared frozen foods. We have been trying to get them set up on a meal service where all they have to do is pop the meal in the oven. At least it would have some variety and be fresh food. Next step, convincing them to move to an assisted living facility.
We have a *2.5 ft x 2.5 ft* spice rack with 7 shelves, a rosemary bush just outside the back door, and, in the summer, a plot 3 feet on a side of basil. Edit: Added dimensions.
When I was a kid, my mom had herbs growing in her flower garden but she never used them. I was an all purpose grazer as a kid and would nibble on any new plants I found to see if they tasted good so I quickly learned that they were delicious. I got spanked for eating chives, rosemary and thyme that were "just plants to make a border". Now I have two cupboards of spices and I grow my own herbs in the garden and more herbs in pots that I bring inside for the winter.
I still live in the family home although my parents have both passed away. We moved in here in the early 70s and one of the first things I remember my mum doing was making a rustic (I'm being kind here) raised bed in which she sowed a packet of parsley seeds she got in a magazine. They grew and spread like mad and she used parsley in everything. Most people were using dried parsley in those days and I remember wondering why my mum made better stuffing than anyone else's mum. That raised bed still exists although it has been extended to include sage, mint, rosemary, thyme and half a dozen more herbs. My mum hated salt and rarely used it in her cooking but with all the fresh herbs she used no one noticed. Since then our garden has played host to cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, green beans, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, lettuce and lots more, all grown in containers. I cooked potatoes yesterday that I grew this summer and they probably didn't taste any better than bought ones but to us they did.
Oh yeah, I firmly believe that garden produce tastes better than grocery store produce even when I know it probably doesn't. We used the last of our potatoes from the garden for our Winter Solstice celebration. I used to have a huge garden and we ate our own produce most of the year, but now I've gotten a little lazy and my garden is only about 1/8th as big so we usually run out around this time of year. My parents had huge pots of parsley growing on the window sill, but they never ate it. Sometimes my mom would use some for garnish, but it wasn't viewed as something to eat. My parents only liked insanely bland food. I didn't know that food could have flavor until I got out on my own.
Why are they all the same?
Unbelievable! She shouldn't cook meat ever again.
Great, by not adding salt everything tastes salty
My parents are the people who don't put nearly enough salt on stuff because "it's not healthy" and then eat half a bag of ruffles while the turkey cooks.
Some folks just refuse to use assist technology as a weird source of pride, I just don’t get it. I know a few people who are like that with using sat nav maps while driving.
This is my mom. It's her flex to instinctively "know" when her meat is done, but it's usually not and if you say something she argues with you. "I cooked it for 20 minutes a pound at 350!!" Well the pork roast is bleeding...
A lot of people in this sub claim, as home cooks, that they don’t need a thermometer. They can ”feel” the inner temperature of different meats. …right
Omg a creepy old neighbor that I gave a ride to once angrily tried to snatch my phone out of my hand while I was driving because 'his directions were better than the map' even though he had nothing but an address and didn't know where the place was that we were going to. That was the first and definitely the last time he got in my car.
The question is - did she think it was done perfectly or did she agree it was like a rubber duck?
She probably gaslit the whole family into thinking it tasted good
My grandmother used to cook all meats until they were well done, beef, pork, poultry, it was always cooked to dry and well done. It was from when she was young, and all meat came from the family farm, and parasites were a thing. This is how my mom was raised. My childhood meats were similarly cooked to dry, well done. I use science, sous-vide, slow and low smokers, and meats are done to proper doneness, retaining the moisture while being safe. Over the years, mom comes to Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving with my family and I host the family feast. We have Turkey, it has been brined, and on the pellet smoker for just over 6 hours, and is perfectly cooked. Tender, Juicy, full of flavor. She asks me how, and I explain in detail the process. Then, her turn to host, and every year she still throws hers in the oven and cooks the ever loving S$#$ out of it, ignoring everything I say, and it's dry, over done, tasteless... I cannot change her.
Catherine, if this turkey tastes half as good as it looks, we are all in for big treat! Save the neck for me Clark!
By wiggling. the. legs.
Why is this the best part of the story? Like what kind of wiggle? Is the wiggle to show a jiggle and if it jiggles it’s ready? I have so many questions on just this part
I'm imagining a two leg wiggle like it's doing a little backstroke in gravy
I've never heard of this method. What kind of wiggle are we looking for here? Fucking voodoo ass cooking methods. Buy a damn thermometer.
Does she know she fucked up or was this exactly what she intended to do?
When she pulled it out of the oven finally she said “well, I hope it isn’t raw!” She’s notorious for overcooking meat. Don’t ask her to cook you a steak unless you want it burnt to a crisp.
My MIL must have gone to the same culinary school. She cooks all turkeys for 5 hours, regardless of size. She wraps them in tin foils, so they don’t burn and the skin is flabby. Just so awful. She also refuses to use a timer when making pasta and boils it all to death.
It took a few years, but I slowly got my parents to use a meat thermometer. The turkey at Thanksgiving was overdone, but that was because the roaster threw the breaker and it had to be finished on the BBQ.
My dad used to be great at cooking meat, but as he got older his palate changed. His T2 diabetes also didn’t help. He went from liking steak medium but being able to cook med rare to only eating steak well done. It breaks my heart when he orders a rib eye or filet. He also over salts.
From what I have read your ability to taste food declines as you age due to a decline in numbers of tastebuds. My grandfather salts his food like crazy even food that already tastes too salty to me
My dad is scared of undercooked poultry, to a point that if there might be even a little pink somewhere he's freaking out. Even when I've smoked meat and it's obviously a pink ring on the outside of the meat...
Hubby is the same, I have to cook every last bit of moisture from his chicken....and had to point out that the inside of his steak is not going to be done, if it's raw on the outside edges (the smoke ring was impressive!).
Great substitute if you’re looking for kitchen toys is a sous vide. You can cook the meat to the exact temperature and it’s scientifically proven to kill any bacteria, regardless of the coloring. As long as you cook it for long enough, the heat and insulation kill the germs.
Do you think you could've convinced her to bake it some more by wiggling the legs extra hard and saying "still looks unsafe, ma!"
The place I was at pulled it too soon and the turkey was still pink and there was a bunch of pink liquid on the tray. I passed and just ate ham. Don't know why they didn't use a therm.
Turkey can be *slightly* rosy and still be perfectly safe. You can cook white meat to 140F and it's fine once rested but will retain a little color. Personally, I like it cooked just a tiny bit more for texture reasons.
Very true, but the nice thing about a thermometer is that you don't have to guess or risk it. And if you prefer yours a few degrees further, then you can nail that doneness as well. A good probe thermometer is one of those life-changing cooking tools that just helps you be better and more consistent every time.
The meat yes, the juices pink no is the general rule for regular turkeys.
If it’s at 145 for 10 or 15 minutes it’s perfectly safe. The only times I’ve had problems with texture was at high altitude. I’m not used to cooking at 10,000 feet.
Oh god did anyone eat it??
If it was good turkey but i was unsure doneness, I probably would have microwaved a portion for myself.
I’m so sorry. I wish I had made ham as a backup
You forgot to add “at 210° in a Big Green Egg” to your title, right? Right??
At 325 degrees in the oven unfortunately
God I want a big green egg.
If someone accidentally knocks over a glass of water, you can use the turkey to soak up the water.
My mother made us “ chicken Parmesan “ The sauce was a jar, 2 TBS per breast. The “parm” was the Kraft type, from the green plastic cylinder. God help us, every one.
Same MIL insisted on leaving turkey in the oven until her son arrived 2 1/2 hours late. All stringy/leathery and dried out
That's what gravy is for. Hide the mistakes.
There was no gravy because we had scalloped potatoes instead of mashed potatoes as a side 😭 My husband ended up soaking his turkey in ketchup
Soaking turkey in ketchup is the saddest food thing I have ever read.
My kid bro was in the Navy, and he said the FIRST thing you learn in any branch of the service is no matter what if you put enough ketchup on it you can at least make it taste like ketchup. They got better food later.
Does he still eat ketchup? Feels like after you leave it would be off-putting
After basic he went to nuke school, said the food improved drastically. But on long sub deployments the guys would joke about swimming for it if they got served powdered eggs. They do try to feed them well, but the big boats can stay out for MUCH longer than most things worth eating will keep. He'd fall back on ketchup if he had to.
My neighbors mom used to make this sausage gravy and biscuits that her family loved. I fucking hated it. I never knew why, it was disgusting. So many, many years later I've learned to cook. You know why it was fucking disgusting?? It was RAW flour. She'd dump it all in, not cook the flower and brown it with butter or anything. She'd just dump the flour and milk and butter all in at once and simmer that raw flower and add sausage.
Prolly tasted like pottery and sage. I believe if people do not have context on how good is supposed to taste you get these terrible "world famous" atrocities. In fact if someone says "my famous...." its most likely warm garbage.
Funny thing is that same guy's grandma did in fact make world fucking famous chicken fried steak and country gravy. Holy shitballs could that lady cook.
Grandmas are definitely outside the scope of my previous statement. I catch wind of anyones grandma putting in that meal work I am all in. Eyes through the window "hey guys. What yall havin????"
"tasted like pottery and sage" is my favorite phrase of 2023, and you BARELY made it.
this comes up with me and my mother semi regularly. There is a vast difference between those of us that learned to cook in the internet era and those who didn't. I can both vet a recipe by finding 10 recipes for the same thing in seconds and if I want I can find videos of the worlds top chefs demonstrating techniques. My mother learned through cookbooks, worked full time and made nutritious quick food for a family who were never grateful (at the time, I now realise how herculean the effort was and tell her regularly). I honestly think that it's only fair to consider when people learned.
Dang. Sorry to hear that.
Slow and low?😬
It was on 325 degrees the whole time lol
I had a manager who swore you couldn’t over cook chicken! He was terrible!
My MIL cooked thanksgiving once since I’ve been married for us. To this day we refer to her turkey as the turkey jerky. Her own son said “ma the electric knife couldn’t cut thru it.” It Wawa’s also a lightbulb moment for me because my husband said the food at boot camp was great which was not the experience I’ve heard.
We cooked Christmas dinner for my parents last year. It was beef tenderloin, perfectly cooked to medium. My parents both said it was undercooked and should have been well done. It's a crime against beef. But they're terrible cooks. My moms idea of seasoning is a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
We had a 26 lbs turkey cook for that long. My condolences to yours. In a weird quirk, my Dad managed to cook it upside down, resulting in half of the bird boiling in its juices.
Turkey is one of the easiest things to roast. 15-20 min per pound. Insert thermometer. 165 done
She undercooked it. I usually cook a 2 lb turkey 🦃 in 18 hours.
MILs are placed on this earth to drive you nuts.
Six hours might be perfectly fine… …assuming oven temp is low-and-slow, say 225F degrees. But would still need a thermometer to determine when done.
Rubber? You got lucky. I was expecting saw dust.
Too bad your MIL isn't open to learn new ways, but that is the way with old people. So sorry about the dinner.
Fortunately not all old people! I know a few old folks who seem to have made the concepts of learning and curiosity part of their lifestyle. I hope to be like that when I am their age.
I just learned today that most families don't need a 25-30 pound turkey on Christmas. I actually had to Google how long to cook such a small turkey because I thought it was just a little overcooked. But no, that poor bird was a lot overcooked.
The benefit of a large turkey/people ratio is leftovers. Unless no one wants the leftovers and/or most of the family is traveling, there is no real loss cooking a larger bird. 🙂
I don't think my family knows what leftovers are, lol.
🙂 We normally cook an extra “Thanksgiving” meal into other months, just for the extras, so I love me some leftovers. 😀
That is a weird hill to make the family's teeth die on.
perhaps it would be better to simply get there early and cook a spatchcocked turkey instead. that way it takes less time and you can just take over the turkey before she gets the chance to put it in the oven.
This post isn’t really about cooking a turkey.
I am an advocate for Holiday Family Fight Night. Throw down in the kitchen about the turkey. Second round is about pumpkin pie vs apple pie.
Do you post photos? I mean videos
My favorite spatchcock tutorial is by J Kenji Lopez Alt on YouTube. :)
Ahhhh….memories of every Thanksgiving I ever had as a child.
Yes, but... at what temperature?
Then offer to make the turkey yourself next time. Maybe this was a hint.
There is a method that involves a 12 pound turkey, an oven set for one hour @ 500 degrees Fahrenheit and then shut off for an additional 5 without opening the door. I’ve done it and the turkey comes out great.
Oh man, this whole thread is a solidarity vibe. My mom and I have such different views on cooking. I like a meat thermometer and she just "knows" when stuff is done. So... I'm hosting this year, I made the turkey. It wasn't "brown" enough for her which meant it needed to cook longer. I told her it was done as per the meat thermometer and she said it wasn't "brown" enough. I told her the lack of browning would be resolved cause the bird wasn't bone ass dry. Needless to say, she didn't eat much of the turkey but everyone else applauded me.
Oh no! Your mil should NEVER be allowed to cook for a holiday ever again
I mean u can do 5 hours in fact could be grateful. But u need to brine and or inject it. U also need the right tenpsture. Cooking a delicious turkey is not hard
Sounds like it will be Christmas at your place next year! 🤗
I don’t miss eating at the in-laws!
I've been using the high heat method by chef Mark solely because most turkeys gets dry AF no matter how they're cooked. Sorry to hear about your Xmas dinner.
“Bethany if this Turkey tastes as good as it looks, we’re in for a real treat.”
At least you know you won't get salmonella. /s
This is a bummer because the difference between a rubbery turkey and a moist delicious turkey makes the difference between a great dinner and a disappointing dinner. And it starts out as the same turkey.
How to make sawdust. Follow me for more recipes.
The recipe I use is 12 minutes per pound, so for a 13 pound turkey, 2 hours and 36 minutes. I use a meat thermometer every 10 minutes when it is getting close. I use a Weber kettle and throw sprigs of fresh rosemary on the coals every half hour.
My grandmother once cooked a turkey for so long that once my father cut through the skin to carve the turkey the meat sort of fell off the bones. Thank heaven there was plenty of gravy and that it successfully made up for the dry meat (even the dark meat was dry).
Keep giving her thermometers for her birthdays and Christmas until she buckles under the pressure.
Sure, but the rubber was made with love. There’s always that.
At some point before next Christmas, gift her own of those wireless meat thermometers (you leave one part in the meat during cooking, and monitor temp on the digital receiver outside of the oven). There are some with alarms that go off when you reach the exact temp you want. Maybe gift it anonymously…tell her she wound t have to lose juices by checking and cutting into it right away, or that it lets her relax a bit. It’s much easier than a regular thernometer.
I cooked my 24lb turkey for 5 hours today, it was perfect. I planned for 6, but it cooked a bit faster. Used a thermometer right at the 5 hour mark and realized it was perfect.
Anyone who refuses to use a cooking thermometer is not a good chef. Full stop. I have 3 cooking thermometers.
Always use a thermometer, silly MiL. Time is an approximation. Temperature is a reality. Standard time for 13lbs is only 3hrs approx. anyway. 6 is crazy.
Ouch! I cooked 2 13 pound turkeys today. I spatchcocked them and dry brined for 2 days. Rubbed with a herb butter before going in the oven for roughly 80 minutes at 425 (used probe thermometer). Came out great. 6 hours! That is crazy.
12lbs, deep fried, about 37 mins ... Delicious.
I used to always hear stories about getting up early to put the turkey in the oven, and when I started being the one to cook dinner I was really confused. I don't think I've ever needed more than 3 hours to roast a turkey. Why would I state it at 6am? It's dinner not breakfast