It's that time of the year! If you're cooking on a budget, these tips will help insure a moist flavorful bird, even if you can't afford an all-natural, organic turkey. These tips can help you out, even if you need to use the one that's on sale. And if you're using a top-quality bird, this will only make it better!
- Cook the bird breast-side down. Not as glamorous as the traditional way, but the cooking juices will flow down, keeping breast meat more moist.
- Bake the stuffing separately. The turkey takes longer to cook when stuffed and may turn out a bit drier.
- Cut the leg/thigh portion off. Cooking the cut-off leg/thighs alongside the turkey will help it cook quicker, insuring moister meat.
- Let the turkey rest before slicing. More juices will be reabsorbed that way.
- Leave some meat in chunks. If not serving it all right away, chunks (wrapped in plastic wrap) will slice easily after refrigerating; perfect for leftovers, etc.