The infamous Turkey Day is upon us! Although more and more people are turning vegan over the holidays and celebrating with smaller gatherings due to the pandemic, many people still see Thanksgiving Day as yet another attempt to try to create the perfectly cooked turkey.
Whether you like dark meat or white meat, these celebrity chefs are here to help make sure that your Thanksgiving turkey is every bit as delectable as you dream it can be.
Gordon Ramsay
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Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay may be known for his temper on “Hell’s Kitchen,” but the man knows his way around a kitchen!
Gordon’s go-to recipe for the perfect turkey bird involves roasting the turkey with a little bit of lemon, parsley, and garlic to help enhance the turkey’s natural flavor.
“This is my favorite way to roast a turkey, with savory butter under the skin to keep the breast meat moist and flavorful,” he revealed.
He continued, “Another of my secrets is to rest the turkey for a couple of hours or more. As it relaxes, the juices are reabsorbed, making the meat succulent, tender, and easier to carve. It may seem like a long time, but the texture will be improved the longer you leave the turkey to rest. Piping hot gravy will restore the heat.”
So if your in-laws ask why you cooked the bird the morning of the big day, just tell them you’re doing it on Ramsay’s orders!
Jet Tila
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“Food Network” star Jet Tila has been a judge on “Chopped,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” and “Guy’s Grocery Games.” In other words, this restauranteur knows good food when he eats it!
Tila has some of the best advice on how to cook a turkey that is sure to impress friends and family members when they come over to celebrate the holiday.
If you have a piece of cheesecloth handy, go ahead and grab it (or wait until Black Friday sales start to pick one up!) Tila’s technique will almost guarantee you a juicy bird as he uses a cheesecloth to baste and cook the turkey at the same time!
On the Today Show, Tila revealed his signature secret: mix three parts melted butter with one part red wine and let the cheesecloth soak. Then, drape the sopping cloth over the turkey and let it cook, infusing your turkey with the subtle flavor of wine. He notes that you should remove the cloth about half an hour before the turkey is done cooking to allow the skin time to crisp up.
Not only will the mixture help prevent burn spots, but it also gives the turkey a gorgeous, glowing color that will look good enough to grace the cover of any home living magazine!
Bobby Flay
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You’re busy stirring the mashed potatoes, fixing the stuffing, setting out the cranberry sauce, and… oh, wasn’t the turkey supposed to be done ten minutes ago? According to “Iron Chef America” star Bobby Flay, the turkey breast should register 155°F and the leg should register 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
If it’s gone way over that, don’t panic! According to Flay, the best way to save an over-roasted bird is by removing the turkey from the oven and loosely tenting it with aluminum foil. Then, he says, let it rest for at least half an hour before you start slicing into it. Resting allows the juices to recirculate throughout the bird, which might help save your guests from the dreaded dry turkey.
But that’s not all: if you have a spare can of chicken or turkey stock lying around, pour it into a pot and bring it to a simmer. After you have sliced the meat, put it on a platter and ladle some of the broth over the meat.
The slices will absorb the broth and prevent it from drying out. Your guests will never notice the difference, and voila! You just saved Thanksgiving!
