Instructions
I thought I’d heard every ghoulish story about North America’s infatuation with abominable food. However, a brochure sent to me the other week by a cookware importer has me re-thinking that conclusion.
It was on page 7 that I found, amongst the large commercial appliances, an unusual deep-fryer the likes of which I’d not seen before. With a 40L capacity, it seemed wider than necessary, and not deep enough for the drainage required to trap the sediment of batter and chips.
Oh dear. They can’t be serious. A turkey fryer!?!?
That’s right folks, straight out of Alabama, deep-fried whole turkey.
I know turkey has something of a mixed reputation when it comes to ease of cooking, but surely there’s no need for that kind of thing.
In fact, the reason that turkey can be tricky has more to do with the types of pigment found in its various cuts. The thigh and leg are dark coloured meat, as a consequence of the myoglobin found in the meat. This chemical cooks at a higher temperature than does the whiter breast meat. As a result, the turkey cooks unevenly, tending to dry out in the breasts long before the legs are cooked.
But you can control this. Step 1: soak the turkey in a flavoured brine for 24 hours before cooking. Step 2: baste regularly. Step 3: take it slow.
Roast a turkey because it’s a lean and delicious bird. Roast a turkey to show off to your friends. Roast a turkey to enjoy a bit of heritage.
But most of all, roast a turkey just to know that you can. Tick it off your ‘to do in life’ list and feel good about yourself. You’ll have mastered a skill at which even the best chefs recoil. Oh, and promise me you won’t put it in the deep fryer!
Roast turkey