And again - Cooking III.

[mamadeb]

The turkey is in the oven. I prepare my turkeys very simply - I flavor them with whatever strikes my fancy (in this case, black pepper and garlic powder) and oil them. I do not brine them because they're kosher and therefore they come brined already. The oven was 400°F when I put the turkey in (breast down, on a "rack" of celery). I turned it down to 325°F.

I also put up a pot of water for the noodles for the soup and since I wasn't happy about the carrots, they're now cooking on top of the stove. I'l put them back in the oven along with the stuffing while the turkey rests.

At that point, I shall be done, and all that will remain will be setting the table, taking a shower, getting the house ready for yom tov and getting dressed.

Comments

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

I'm fascinated by this "brining" thing - does it mean soaking the bird in salt water? We don't do it in the UK.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

It's a currently fashionable thing to do to meat (usually poultry) prior to cooking it - soaking it in a flavored (sometimes sweetened) brine for several hours. The reasoning is that water and flavoring enter the meat via osmosis and render it moist and, well, flavorful.

Here. (http://bbq.about.com/cs/turkey/a/aa110103a.htm)

It's a bit of myth - more salt will make more tender, flavorful meat (which is why kosher poultry often wins in taste tests) but the rest - the extra moisture cooks out anyway, apparently.

Kosher birds, like all kosher meat, have to be salted and soaked to draw out the blood - these days, it's done for us. I've never "kashered" meat myself. Because of this, brining makes them overly salty.