Cool Tip: Thanksgiving Tip...

I tried something different yesterday and boy, did it work!  When I took the fresh bird out of the refrigerator, I placed it on a bed of vegetables instead of a rack, breast side down.  Under the breast I placed several cold packs which were encased in a plastic bag.  The idea was to chill the breast while the rest of the bird was warming up prior to entering the oven.  In retrospect, I should have put the bird breast side up and the cold packs on top, for more effective chilling.  Still, that part worked.

I roasted Mr. Tom in a 325°F oven breast down for one hour and then breast up for the remainder.  Unfortunately, he arrived at the ideal temp a full hour earlier than I wanted.  So, I wrapped him in heavy foil and then placed heavy beach towels on top of that to keep the heat in.  The meat fell away from the bones and was both moist and tender.

Another trick that a friend taught me, which Hal tried and found worked, is that when carving the breast, actually take it off the carcass and place it on a cutting board.  Given that the shape vaguely resembles a football, slice the breast across the pointy end rather than along the side with the lacing.  Makes for a more tender piece of meat because you do not end up with long strings of turkey.

The best thing, however, was a comment from one of our guests.  He said he always likes to come to our house for holiday dinners because he meets the most interesting people and has wonderful conversations!  In the end, the food is important, but the people make it memorable.  You can share a can of peas and still have a great meal, when you have interesting people.