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I am super excited about Thanksgiving this year. We will be with family that we haven’t seen in a while. I am looking forward to a full belly, with all the turkey trimmings, holiday treats, and lots of family love. But, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, the time to plan for the perfect holiday turkey is here. It seemed like it was just July and the kids were running around in bathing suits, and here we are all the way into October.
I thought I’d share a few essentials for having not only a delicious and moist turkey, but less time in the kitchen. Cooking a turkey doesn’t have to be a large feat. It can be an easy, and simple process with a little help. Here are a few ideas:
The one thing you do not want to mess up on Thanksgiving is the turkey. The temperature probe will help you cook the perfect bird, but make sure you don’t have to stand over it every five minutes checking to see if it’s moist enough, or too done. No one wants to stand in the kitchen and check the turkey while the rest of the bunch is out watching the Macy’s Day Parade (which by the way, I love). If you want more time with your family, and less time in the kitchen, grab one. Since your kids probably ran off with your phone to play games, you can pretend it’s your own device, and you carry the monitor up to 300 feet away, so you don’t have to pop up twenty times to go check the turkey. Free yourself from becoming the oven slave.
Sur La Table thinks of everything. The injector is not new, but they seem to have perfected it. Baste the inside of the turkey with some ooey, gooey juice, and end up with a moist, and oh-so-yummy turkey. Trust me, you need this. Oh, and by the way, the needle stores neatly inside of the injector when you’re not using it. Handy!
So, what about the outside of the turkey, you ask? We’ve got that covered, too. At least the turkey has it covered. Get it? Ha! I think I am only cracking myself up. Anyway, this KitchenAid baster is nice because you can squirt the juice on top of the turkey, or brush it on. You’ve got a little more control. Plus, you can stick it in the dishwasher when you’re done for easy clean-up.
You don’t need anything fancy to carve up the turkey. I’ve been to plenty of fancy-schmancy parties and never knew if the cutlery set cost fifty cents from a garage sale, or $300 from the nicest store in town. If it cuts, it works. But, you need a set to cut the turkey. Top Chef has a nice set that will slice right through that bird. I’m getting hungrier by the minute.
The fat separator is not really for the turkey, but it comes from the turkey, so I am lumping it in with things you need to make the perfect turkey. After all, who doesn’t want gravy on their mashed potatoes, right next to the turkey? This thing is cool because you can pour your drippings over the strainer.
The plug at the bottom magically separates the sauce from the fat. As a kid, I never liked gravy. As an adult, Thanksgiving doesn’t seem complete without it. So, have no fear, with one of these, there will be gravy.
What do you have lined up for your Thanksgiving plans?
