How do you prepare a turkey for roasting?
How do you keep a turkey moist when roasting?
Brining, whether wet or dry, is my secret ingredient to cooking a fool-proof juicy turkey. Add to that a blast of high heat at the beginning of the cooking time, then dropping the temperature to a lower roast and you’ll make a tender, flavorful, juicy bird every time.
Can I prep my turkey the night before?
The night before Thanksgiving, completely unwrap the turkey. I recommend doing this the night before so that you can make sure that the cavity of the turkey is thawed out. If it is still a little icy, it should thaw overnight now that you unwrapped the turkey and took the neck and giblets out.
Do you cook a turkey covered or uncovered?
To achieve that balance, the ideal is to let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered: We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out, then removing the cover for the last 30 minutes or so to allow the skin to crisp.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.