How to cook a tender turkey

For moist meat without the hassle of clearing fridge space to soak the bird in a vat of brining liquid, try a dry brine. Salting a turkey and letting it rest before roasting seasons it deeply and helps it retain moisture.

Of course the longer the turkey is cooked, the more the proteins are denatured and the meat gets tougher. Connective tissues are not digestible and are too tough to bite through before they are cooked. If a turkey is cooked too long, the muscle proteins coagulate within the meat and cause dryness.

We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey.” The drippings will be less flavorful and not as concentrated as roast turkey drippings.

Once you’ve carefully dried off the skin, the next step you can take to guarantee perfectly crispy turkey skin is to rub it with a fat, like butter or oil. Oil will yield a crispier skin than butter because butter is at least 20 percent water, while oil contains no water.

Don’t butter your bird

Placing butter under the skin won’t make the meat juicier, though it might help the skin brown faster. However, butter is about 17 percent water, and it will make your bird splotchy, says López-Alt. Instead, rub the skin with vegetable oil before you roast.

Because dark meat has more connective tissues, it takes longer to break down, so if you cook the turkey whole, by time the legs and thighs are done, the breasts are overcooked and dry. After cooking, let the meat rest until it’s close to room temperature in order to let the juices redistribute.

Wash Hands and Surfaces; not the Turkey

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces.

The bird should be prepared the night before. Mix the butter with the salt and freshly ground black pepper, then season the cavity of the bird. Rub the butter mix all over the turkey. Take the turkey out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature while the oven is heating up.

It’s not browning enough. Raise the oven temperature. Alternatively, mix 2 to 3 tablespoons honey or molasses with 1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter; season with salt and pepper. Brush the turkey with the glaze–the sweet stuff and butter solids will accelerate browning.

To achieve that balance, the ideal is to let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered: We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out, then removing the cover for the last 30 minutes or so to allow the skin to crisp.

Roast the turkey uncovered at a temperature ranging from 325°F to 350°F. Higher temperatures may cause the meat to dry out, but this is preferable to temperatures that are too low which may not allow the interior of the turkey to cook to a safe temperature.