Both methods effectively trap steam and moisture, which helps prevent the turkey from drying out without frequent basting. Aluminum foil turkey tents help to prevent over-cooking, while foil-wrapped turkeys can help shorten the cooking time.
Do you cook a turkey covered or uncovered? You should cook your turkey uncovered. The moisture at the bottom of the roasting pan will keep it from burning. If you don't want super crispy skin, feel free to cover the turkey in the last hour of cooking.
Lightly covered helps keep some moisture. It doesn't necessarily effect the speed. It will protect the food from direct heat.
Baste It Another key to a delicious, juicy turkey is to baste as it cooks. Basting is also the key to delicious pan drippings and gravy! I love the combination of melted butter, chicken broth, and a little bit of cooking sherry for this turkey. Rich and flavorful, just as Thanksgiving and the holidays should be.
Yes! Adding water to the bottom of the pan keeps the meat extra juicy and tender as it roasts. Without that added moisture, the turkey is much more likely to dry out as it cooks.
Oven-Roasted Turkey
We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.
We also think butter helps to make the most flavorful pan drippings to use in your turkey gravy. You can certainly use olive oil to rub on your turkey if you prefer—or use a combination of butter and olive oil to get the best of both fats.
The herb butter does double duty. Part of it is rubbed under the skin and over the meat of the bird for a major boost in flavor. The rest is melted and brushed over the skin to ensure that gorgeous golden brown exterior.
Ramsay shared his insights on YouTube while making roast turkey with lemon, parsley, and garlic as part of his 2020 Thanksgiving Recipe Guide. The celebrity chef told viewers that three things can keep a turkey moist: soft butter, olive oil, and bacon.
Cook your turkey at 325 degrees F for most of the cook time; in the final 45 minutes, remove the cover or foil tent from the turkey, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and baste the bird with butter. The initial lower oven temperature cooks the turkey through evenly.
Wrapping foil packet dinners
They trap moisture and flavor, making cooking faster and more efficient. Plus, the versatility of different recipes and ingredients used in foil packet dinners makes them suitable for various tastes and dietary preferences.
The top perk is: juiciness. No one wants a dry turkey, and the bag method helps you avoid that disaster. It traps in moisture to help the turkey stay juicy and tender as it cooks. Cooking in a bag also saves time, as your turkey will cook about an hour faster in the bag than what your recipe specifies.
Roast the turkey uncovered in a 325°F oven for 2 hours. (Note: Roasting the turkey uncovered at the start of the bake time will increase the browning, so keep an eye on it.)
Cover from the beginning, then remove the foil for the final 30 minutes of cooking. The foil helps the meat stay juicy. By ending with the turkey uncovered, “the skin will be able to brown and crisp up,” Brekke says, before resting, slicing, and serving.
You can set a rectangular cooling rack or even the V-shaped rack that came with your roasting pan inside the sheet pan. Either type of rack will lift the bird up so that it's not touching the bottom of the pan, allowing more even heat distribution around the turkey.
Place breast-side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff turkey cavity with 1/2 the onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and bay leaf. Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in the bottom of the roasting pan; pour white wine over vegetables.
Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter and wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.
Turkey contains an amino acid which can promote relaxation.
“Tryptophan is an amino acid found in some foods, which has been linked to drowsiness and can even be taken as a supplement to improve sleep,” says Andrew Wong, MD, a primary care provider with Hartford HealthCare in Westport.
But don't worry—dried-out turkey can happen to the most experienced Thanksgiving cook. It's not even necessarily your fault—turkeys are so darn huge that they take FOREVER to roast. By the time the dark meat reaches that crucial 180˚F, you may have overcooked the breast meat.
You can also push seasoned butter or olive oil under the skin of the breast and around the thighs. You can use your fingers, or push a thin silicone spatula under the skin to separate it from the meat. This not only flavors the turkey but also helps keep it moist and juicy.
Place chopped onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick a few herbs off the stalks and add to the vegetables. Set aside. Pat dry the turkey with paper towels.
Impart rich flavor and add moisture to your Thanksgiving turkey by adding a layer of butter under the skin before roasting. Learn how to do this simple (but genius) technique for a delicious Thanksgiving turkey.