Cooking/Thanksgiving Tips!

[WhichDawg]

We in the US are having our Thanksgiving day holiday tomorrow (Nov 24th) and I wanted to thank this forum and all the members for all you do here and contribute 

Also how about some cooking tips for some of your favorite foods you might be making tomorrow or soon (for the holidays). I thought I'd start with a few of mine:

1. I add a can of mushroom gravy to my moms sage stuffing to make it more moist and add more flavor, and it's easy!

2. I brine my bird. sure it lessons some turkey flavor (little) but the moistness it adds really makes it worth it! No more dry turkey for me

3. My new favorite veggie is "roasted asparagus with fresh lemon slices" omg! super easy and fast, try it! I do mine in the toaster oven at 400 for 14-20 minutes until slightly brown-crispy, just drizzle on some olive oil to bake/roast

Happy chomping friends

[MadPlumbarian]

Cooking tips, hmm, don't really have any, but one thing we do is get everything together the night before to make sure we have everything and make it easier come tomorrow! Here's a pic of the main pans and containers awaiting duty, the main ingredients, and of course the big bird defrosted and ready to get stripped and seasoned so he can be thrown in!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and like I've said in the past our doors always open to anyone who doesn't want to spend the day alone, don't worry there's anough food to go around!
JR

[AimlessWanderer]

Here's a few things I like to do for big meals......

Glazed carrots: Peel and slice carrots, and place in cold water that JUST covers them. Bring to the boil slowly (medium heat) and when it begins to boil add a good slab of butter and a good dollop of brown sugar. Keep stirring till done. Serve topped with grated lemon rind.

Minted peas: add fresh or frozen peas to boiling water, ideally in a heavy pan. Cast iron is perfect. When cooked, drain but leave in the pan, add a good dollop of butter and a good mound of finely chopped fresh mint. Stir, and leave in the pan with the lid on to "infuse". Serve with sprig of mint

Brussels Sprouts: add to boiling water, boil till slightly undercooked, add cooked chestnuts and pan fried pancetta (complete with the bacon fat released. Stir, cover and place in bottom of the oven to finish off and infuse flavours

Roast parsnip and sweet potato chunks with whole garlic and quartered small red onions, topped with herbs and a drizzle of olive oil. I don't parboil. I'd rather roast for longer on a lower heat, or lower down in the oven. Keep covered with foil while roasting.

For those who aren't cooking for enough people to warrant getting a turkey....

Chicken breast, sliced open like a pitta. Fill with a 50/50 mix of green pesto and Philadelphia cream cheese. Wrap in parma ham or smoky bacon. Roast one per person. Tremendous!

Boneless pork chop, dipped both sides in beaten egg, dipped in sage and onion stuffing mix, and wrap in greased foil. Bake one per person. The meat juices reconstitute the stuffing 

[WhichDawg]

wow! great neighbor and great food!

[MadPlumbarian]

The wife is trying something new this year on the bird, turn the oven up to 475 and toss the bird in uncovered just for 30min, then take him out cover him and then tossing him back in at only 350, also no taking him out and basting,

This will make the outside sealed and crispy so it keeps all the juices inside, and taking him out every 30min lets the heat out of the oven so t doesn't cook evenly.

I did something similar once cooking on the grill, I was doing a rotisserie of a bird and I put the wrong burner on so the flame was directly under it, needless to say I sat down and then like 10min later smoke was pumping out of the grill, so I lifted the lid and it was BLACK, so I switched burners and finished cooking, we were so worried, but when I cut the bird open juice just poured out of it, yeah the skin crisp and nasty but the rest was SOOOOO good!
JR

[Aloha]

Brine those birds.  Thats the best advice I can give to keep it moist. 

Season UNDER the skin, that goes for chicken as well. 

Add aromatics inside the cavity.   I use orange, lemon, as well as scrap veggies. 

Use a thermometer to check doneness.  Remember that large bird will continue to cook so take it out several degrees prior to hitting the proper temp.  The bird will need to rest anyway. 

Lastly and more importantly is engage everyone in the cooking process.  Give even the youngest members some job to do. 

[MadPlumbarian]

The birds in, but yeah the wife gave the bird a nice season, (under skin and in cavity) let alone a rub down.
JR

[Aloha]

The birds in, but yeah the wife gave the bird a nice season, (under skin and in cavity) let alone a rub down.
JR

She did good.  Tho I'm sure she doesn't need any help as I'm sure shes a terrific cook.

[MadPlumbarian]

The birds in, but yeah the wife gave the bird a nice season, (under skin and in cavity) let alone a rub down.
JR

She did good.  Tho I'm sure she doesn't need any help as I'm sure shes a terrific cook.

I read that and she smiled, but then she said "yeah my husbands gut proves that"!
JR

[Aloha]

My grandmother was a wonderful cook.  She could make road kill taste like 5 start dining.  My mom however was barely able to avoid under cooking or burning dinner  .

I know my way around the kitchen as I cooked professionally.  I wouldn't dare go up against a mom in the kitchen tho.  My former sis in law was a wizard in the kitchen.  That lady could pretty make any type cuisine you can think of. 

My forte is fast fresh meals.   

[MadPlumbarian]

Just turned the oven down, and covered the bird, I must say it was nicely glazed over, the skin looked tight and holding those juices in! All I know is I'm freaking starving and this place smell freaking fabulous, and we still have the stuffing and other goodies to make,, I WANT FOOD!!
JR

[MadPlumbarian]

The bird is filling this house with the smell of joy, all other food is cut up, mixed up, and awaiting oven duty!
JR

[MadPlumbarian]

It's done! Time to cool off and let everything else cook, oh this thing smells soooo good!
JR

[WhichDawg]

YummmmmmY! that looks great

I've done the hot-sealing bird and it does work great, seals in the juices. Did mine at 500 for 30 minutes then the rest of the time at 350

only problem is as it's searing it spatters (spits) inside your oven walls (check and see) and oven cleanup later is more fun 

but if my bird looked like that I wouldn't care

tons of good idea's here folks, good job

[MadPlumbarian]

YummmmmmY! that looks great

I've done the hot-sealing bird and it does work great, seals in the juices. Did mine at 500 for 30 minutes then the rest of the time at 350

only problem is as it's searing it spatters (spits) inside your oven walls (check and see) and oven cleanup later is more fun 

but if my bird looked like that I wouldn't care

tons of good idea's here folks, good job

Oh she was spitting, I had my huge outdoor grill gloves on in order to take it out far enough just to put a lid on it for the rest of the 350deg cook, only thing is it was only spitting in one spot, underneath in the pan and then up at the bird. I'll have to double check the oven cause I've had enough of that dang thing for one day! But I'll agree, doing that totally sealed in the juices! I think we have a new tradition for bird cooking! The only other way that sealed it in any better was deep frying..
JR

[ToolJoe]

The only thing I cooked yesterday was for Thanksgiving brunch and it was scrapple. It was baked in the oven like meatloaf. Here is an explanation of scrapple:
http://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/what-scrapple-and-why-should-you-be-eating-it

[MadPlumbarian]

The only thing I cooked yesterday was for Thanksgiving brunch and it was scrapple. It was baked in the oven like meatloaf. Here is an explanation of scrapple:
http://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/what-scrapple-and-why-should-you-be-eating-it

The wife just gave a 
She's originally from philly and loves that stuff, she hasn't had it for over 5-6yrs. She's never had it baked, just fried..
JR