Eeek! I hate it when this happens.

[cwydro]

My durn turkey is not thawing fast enough.

I want to get it in the brine by this evening. Ideas??

I know I had this happen before, but I don't remember what I did.

[catnhatnh]

1. Yep-cold water thaw...

usually 30 minutes per lb and change water 2-3 times an hour to keep water colder than the bacterial growth range. Since you have already started thawing you should have plenty of time and since you were going to brine you already have the container.

[cwydro]

3. Thanks! A longtime friend just reminded me that we've done that in the past.

And I read on the ever-reliable Google that it can thaw in the brine, which I had not known.

[Phentex]

2. It can be a race!

Good luck!

[cwydro]

4. Lol! I'm trying to assemble all the stuffing today to be cooked tomorrow.

I make a LOT of stuffing!

I miss the days when instead of a microwave and an oven, we had two ovens. So much handier for holidays. Sigh.

Showing my age here.

[Phentex]

5. Oh I know! Still in a 60's kitchen...

but somebody removed the wall oven and put in a microwave. I considered replacing the wall oven but I'd only use a couple of times a year. I am trying to be better about using the crockpot and warmer drawer but it sure would be nice to have a second full oven.

[cwydro]

6. It would indeed.

I'm cooking at my mom's, and she had the upper oven removed years ago to replace it with a microwave.

I rarely use microwaves at all.

Are you cooking this holiday?

[Freddie]

9. Bought one of those roaster ovens

Just for Thanksgiving, only about $50. Frees up your oven for the other stuff. I learned (one very dry turkey later) it cooks the turkey faster than the oven. Nice to have especially if you entertain a lot.

[Warpy]

7. Make sure both bags of innards are out of it

then set it directly onto an aluminum pan or even a one-use roaster pan on a cookie sheet. The metal acts as a heat sink and allows the bird to thaw a bit faster.

You roast the turkey overnight and have it for breakfast?

[cwydro]

10. No, Ill start roasting in the morning lol.

Here's another question.

I always brine my turkey, but my durn mother bought a turkey that says it has been "enhanced" with an infusion of broth and salt, etc. I've read that any addition like that to a turkey means brining will not be a good thing.

I told her I wanted to be the one to buy it. Grrr.

Any ideas?

[Warpy]

12. You do herb butter on the skin or under it.

Personally, I'm with Aunt Mary, it's just a fucking turkey. I butter the skin, salt and pepper inside and outside, maybe add an onion and a couple of stalks of celery to the cavity if I'm not doing stuffing, and throw a little cheesecloth over it to hold the butter for a little longer. The cheesecloth comes right off when the turkey is done and doesn't stick at all. I concentrate on sides, like the cranberries I used to glean every year after the pickers went through, making a really good pan gravy, and making sure there was plenty of wine.

She's right, turkey doesn't have a hell of a lot of flavor. I live alone, so I usually end up butchering it down and using the meat to sub in recipes for veal or pork, turkey thighs making the best carnitas slow cooked with green chile and tomatillo.

[cwydro]

14. I love this!

I do pretty much everything you say you do. I've been the chief turkey cook for years now, and I've never had a bad one (knock on wood).

I make stuffing on the side, but I also stuff my bird.

This video is great. I always cut the plastic thing off too.

[Paper Roses]

17. I shared this video again this year. It is funny and spot on.

The only time I have had an exceptional turkey was years ago when then son-in-law put some herb concoction under the turkey skin before roasting. Maybe it was just the herbs but it was fantastic.

Son-in-law long gone and so is the recipe. Would love to try it myself but I have no idea what the what he used.

[Warpy]

18. A look at all the posey celebrity chef types

shows they mostly use the Scarborough Fair recipe: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. One leaves out the parsley, another substitutes tarragon.

My guess is that it was a minor variation on those with fresh herbs, giving it the real punch of flavor.

[grasswire]

21. a New Englander like you oughta have a little paper box of poultry seasoning...

....in your pantry. The colorful little box with the turkey on the side of it. It was a staple for my grandmother. Hard to find out here in the west. It's the perfect seasoning.

[Paper Roses]

22. Hi grasswire, I think you are referring to: Bell's Seasoning

Small yellow box. Great stuff. The recipe I am referring to tasted very different from the Bell's. Since I no longer cook turkey, I no longer use it.
Be happy send you a box if you would like.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

15. That's right

DO NOT BRINE AN 'ENHANCED' TURKEY.

It will come out incredibly salty.

Someone put a 'needled' (flavor enhanced) turkey in the 'fresh' turkey bin at the store, and guess who grabbed it? It was horrible.

Moral of the story:

Always have your glasses on when picking out the turkey. So you can read the fine print on the labels.

[cwydro]

16. My mother bought it. Against my wishes.

However, I've read a bunch that says it can be done.

Diluted the mixture a bit.

We'll see.

[catnhatnh]

8. Anyone remember when stoves had a soup well?

This was a stockpot set flush into the stovetop in place of a burner. It was the crockpot of the middle part of the 1900's. I'd love to have one of those again...

[cwydro]

11. No I don't think I remember that...

That would be fantastic.

[Warpy]

13. The most I had was a wood stove

and I'd slide pots around on top of it to regulate how hot the food was getting. I do miss the 1930s "toss a match and run" stoves with the warming shelf above the cooktop. Warming the plates up there was really nice.

[catnhatnh]

19. Well-they came in both electric and gas...

here's an electric with the (Usually aluminum) pot removed for cleaning:


And here is one with the pot in place and cover on:


That unit is very like the gas unit my grandmother had right thru the end of her life. She raised 12 kids thru the depression and it is entirely possible that decades passed with that burner never off-this much I know, in the first 20 years of my life I never saw the pot sitting idle whether for "refrigerator soup", pounds of pasta or potatoes, or cooking or canning produce from the garden that sucker was a daily deal. The thing I like is the work height is much more convenient and the counter space saved is important in today's smaller kitchen. Also note it was almost always on a back burner safety.

[Snobblevitch]

20. If you need to thaw your frozen turkey,

put in the bathtub and turn on the shower. ; ) On Thanksgiving morning, turn on the hot water and bathe with the thawed turkey. (It was an episode from The King of Queens.)