What size Turkey is best to use for a large crowd?
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It is my opinion that you should never use a turkey larger than 16 or 17 pounds. Larger turkeys are older and by nature slightly more tough. They also require more roasting time (15-20 minutes more per pound) which could increase your time by an hour or more. This exposes the outer meat to the heat for a longer period of time and could make the meat very dry. And, if you like stuffing your turkey it will take even longer to roast!
If you are having more than 20 people, I recommend that you roast 2 turkeys about 14 pounds each. If you make the turkey recipe o要 this site, you can make o要e or both the day before and have it already sliced and ready to reheat in its own gravy.
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Recipes tell you to put a foil tent o要 the turkey. Why?
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Many recipes tell you to tent a bird to prevent the white meat from drying out. This is true but most don't tell you which side to have facing out and this can make a BIG difference! Always place the SHINY SIDE OUT when you place the foil tent o要 the turkey breast. The shiny side REFLECTS the heat away from the white meat thus preventing it from cooking faster than the dark meat. The dull side would absorb the heat (think cookie sheets, which are dull so that the bottom of the cookies brown evenly from heat absorption) and cook the breast even faster. So, maybe it wasn't the brand of turkey you used last year but the side of the foil you exposed o要 the bird?!?
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Is there an alternative to brining?
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Last year Gourmet Magazine pointed out that the alternative to brining a turkey in an eight gallon drum for hours was buying a kosher turkey! Since the kosher turkey has to be salted and soaked by Jewish law, the turkey is essentially all brined when you get it. Note: Go easy o要 the salt (and even eliminate it if you are making my recipe) if you are using a kosher turkey. Although the bird is thoroughly rinsed, it still contains some residual seasoning.
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What type of cooking wine should I use?
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The answer is easy; NONE. Cooking wine is generally poor quality wine to which some salt has been added (in Victorian times they added salt to the wine so the cooks wouldn't tip at the bottle when no o要e was looking). An inexpensive bottle of Taylor Cream Sherry is a great substitute for Harvey's Bristol Cream and light years ahead of any bottle of cooking sherry in the supermarket! Likewise, I use Hallelujah orange liquor(kosher for Passover as well) from Israel instead of Grand Marnier for cooking because it has the same thick, sweet consistency and costs half the price! Any $7-$10 bottle of wine would be much more preferable than cooking wine as well.
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Can I process potatoes in the food processor?
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In general the answer is NO. Russet potatoes will become a perfect alternative to wallpaper paste if processed! However, probably because of their starch structure, sweet potatoes become a velvety-smooth mass when processed. Hint: If you add o要e cooked russet potato to 4 sweet potatoes and process, the russet will help bind the sweet potatoes together while still maintaining a wonderful consistency.
