Whole turkey to table?
sheepieboss |
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I'm the massacre the bird in the kitchen and bring it out sliced type  |
| I don't cook.
My family however is the carve-in-the-kitchen type and bring it out sliced to the dining room. |
| Ideal soution: Bring the whole turkey to the table as a presentation, then bring it back into the kitchen for carving.
Reality: But it was always my dad who did the carving at the table. He always did a great job. Now it's up to me to butcher the damn thing. It's easiest if it's not right out of the oven. If it sits and cools a bit, the carving goes MUCH easier. |
| My family does the two step -- first, on the table whole for presentation, then it is discreetly carted away for carving while people help themselves to sides, etc. |
Butcher the heck out of it in the kitchen...everyone is in there anyway...they can see the full turkey there...safer and better than dumping the whole thing on the floor  |
Me too. I don't even pretend to know how to make it look pretty. Just so it tastes great! Slice & serve!  |
| Good! I'm glad I'm not the only one who wants to butcher the thing in private. Ron, you are right. Meat should rest, covered, for about 15-20 minutes before carving. Actually if you can free the breast sides as a whole and then slice it, that part is much easier.
sheepieboss not signed in |
| We're definitely the "carve in the kitchen" types. That was my mom's habit, and now that I am the hostess I've done it too. |
| Meat needs to rest or else it dries out (and it is easier to carve when rested.) You know the turkey that tastes like cardboard the next day and is already drying your mouth at the Thanksgiving table? That is meat that was carved too soon. So please let it rest -- that's why gravy was invented. It takes about the same amount of time to make the gravy as it does to rest the turkey. And for all you flour & cornstarch in the gravy types: dissolve the flour/cornstarch in a little milk before you add it to the gravy and you won't have lumps. |
| Good tip. I like to splash in a bit fo the white wine we are drinking. First time I did that I was far from the stock pot in a crowded kitchen. The gravy received so many compliments that year, I've continued doing it.
ALSO: I heard a tip today on Glenn Hagee's Master Handyman radio show: Since the breast and dark meat need to be different temperatures for perfect cooking (breast about 150, dark meat about 165).......take the bird from frig and let come to room temperature BUT take some of those blue ice things or put ice in a big plastic food bag and lay across the breast. As the dark meat warms, the breast chills. When ready to cook remove the ice...of course. The breast meat will be decidedly colder and less likely to overcook. Another tip was to cook two smaller birds instead of one giant. I guess I could get a tabletop roaster or deep fat fryer. My oven is tiny. |
| I'd much rather not see it in its "natural state." I encourage carving in the kitchen! |
| Everyone is hanging in the kitchen and sees the whole bird when it comes out. So carve it in the kitchen.
Side note: I swear if I ever build a house, it will be just a kitchen with a bedroom off the side. That's where everyone gathers, so why waste space on silly rooms like a living room? |
| Another solution, just cook a turkey breast if you're not serving lots of people. None of that nasty dark meat to deal with. One good trick to prevent a dry bird is to soak cheesecloth in stock or melted butter, cover the breast and baste often. Remove it an hour before the turkey is done to get a nice golden skin. |
| In our house, the dining room is open to the kitchen, just separated by an island. So, I put the bird on the island to carve it, and everyone can watch from the table.
How come in the movies the "men folk" always carve the turkey  ? I have never know a man who can do that!!!! |
| Carve it at the table. |
| This year I brined the bird and cooked it at 400 degrees......and chilled the breast. Best bird in many years. Took a lot of faith to cook it so high, but it worked. The key was turning it on the 4 sides to cook: start breast down 45 minutes, one side 15, other side 15, then breast up appropriate temp. That's for a bird up to 15 lbs. I wouldn't try to wrestle anything larger. |
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