Cooking For Engineers

[sierra_ws]

There’s this new turkey recipe in Safeway grocery stores now where you can cook any size turkey up to 22 pounds in just two hours! This will for sure save A LOT of time on Thanksgiving!! If you go to the Safeway site you can find a store close to you. The recipe’s only available in the store. Has anyone tried it?

[eltonyo]

i was actuallly one of the recipients asked to "test out" this recipe before it was published. i was a big fan of the former "safeway select" magazine, which unfortunately, has gone commercial, with only seasonal offerings.

to be honest, the recipe "works", but it does not give you the best turkey i have had, or made, in the past.

the high temperature cooking will leave your dark meat less than desirable for well done cooking. the recipe talks about cooking the dark meat after the turkey is done, but quite frankly, nobody will want to do this.

brining, and/or injecting with broth is not covered, and consequently, the breast meat (even with underdone dark meat), is not the juiciest i have had.

the recipe says to install a thermometer against the bone, and leave it in the whole time while cooking,..... not the best idea imho.

there was no regular basting, or rotation of meat, let alone cooking the breast side down for a spell.

all in all, i think this recipe is "okay" for someone in a hurry, but it will not produce the most succelent of turkeys, which need to be cooked slower, at lower temps, basted, brined, and even injected.... and properly rotated (up and down), as well as rotated in the oven 180 degrees back and forth.

this recipe did not include much (almost none) in the way of seasoning, using herbs, or stuffing the turkey with aromatics, or how to make a good gravy. this takes only seconds, and adds a ton of flavor.

all good things take time.

thanksgiving, amongst all holidays, should not be a rushed "fast cooked" sport, with minimal preparation.... imho.

slow it down, give some thanks, and do it right.

all in all... i was not impressed with Safeway's latest recipe.

check out Sunset magazine for a better option (including a nice stuffing option), and don't forget to brine, and rotate the turkey about both axes (longitude and latitide). and if you want to go the extra mile, rub a herbed butter under the breast skin before roasting, which will not only help moisten the breast meat, but it will help render the fat from the breast meats skin, and make it crispier.... (and make a better gravy).