{"473591":{"#nid":"473591","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Last Minute Tips for a Better Turkey","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Georgia Tech\u2019s campus executive chef Jonathan Elwell and physics professor Dr. Peter Yunker got together to talk Thanksgiving turkey, things quickly turned scientific.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter all, cooking is essentially just one big experiment \u0026shy;\u2013 and sometimes you\u2019re lucky enough to get the methodology right.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut when it comes to the cooking that turkey, you can apply some science to help make a better bird.\u0026nbsp; So we asked for some tips from our leading chef and an award-winning physicist that would help even if you are down to the wire to get Thanksgiving dinner done.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETip 1: Don\u2019t forget to thaw your turkey\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNothing\u2019s worse than getting up Thanksgiving morning and realizing you won\u2019t get your turkey cooked in time,\u201d says Chef Elwell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe chef says he has taken dozens of desperate last-minute calls over his career of people trying to buy a whole turkey because they forgot to thaw their turkey.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you have a fresh bird, you\u2019ll have no worries on this front. However, most turkeys purchased over the holiday are frozen, so you\u2019ll need to take at list a few hours of thaw time into consideration. Otherwise, your results will be less than desired.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe problem if your turkey is frozen. The outside of the bird will be contacting warmer air, but by the time the frozen core is thawed the outside of the turkey is done,\u201d explains Dr. Yunker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETip 2: Brine your turkey\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEven if you only have a little bit of time, brining your turkey imparts flavor and moisture that you won\u2019t achieve any other way,\u201d explains Chef Elwell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs for what to use in a brine, he says kosher salt and water are they key components. Additionally, fall flavors like apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and star anise are great additions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOver time it the brine solution diffuses into the turkey until there\u2019s just as much salt and moisture inside as there is outside,\u201d says Dr. Yunker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat also means flavor.\u0026nbsp; Chef Elwell typically brines turkeys for three or four days, then dries the out before cooking. He says even a few hours will make a better turkey. He also says to allot time for the turkey to rest a little while after it has brined before cooking. That will allow the flavorful brine to redistribute evenly through the meat after it has been soaked up during brining.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETip 3: Coat the outside of your turkey\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor this, Chef Elwell uses something unconventional: mayonnaise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe mix in hearty herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage with mayonnaise and a little bit of olive oil. As it roasts, it\u2019s also basting that turkey,\u201d He explains.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other advantage to mayonnaise: it helps create that crispy crust on the outside of the turkey.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut don\u2019t forget about the inside. It\u2019s another opportunity to impart flavor according to Chef Elwell. He stuffs the cavity with sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and lemons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAnything aromatic,\u201d he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETip 4: Heat your oven a little hotter than the suggested temperature\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCooking is really about heat transfer,\u201d says Dr. Yunker. \u201cYou have something either frozen or refrigerated that you need to get to a temperature that not only tastes good but kills bacteria that may be inside.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you set your oven to 350 degrees, and then place a 40-degree turkey inside, it immediately sucks out the heat energy to a much lower temperature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe set the oven to about 385,\u201d explains Chef Elwell. \u201cThen after the turkey is in we put the heat back to 350.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat helps compensate for the loss of heat and energy you experience from simply putting a cold turkey in the oven.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause most ovens are cooking with radiant energy in the form of light, Yunker also suggests using a roasting pan or even a sheet pan with lower sides.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen you place your turkey in an oven pan with high sides, you\u2019re blocking the much of the bird from the energy needed to bring it up to temperature.\u201d he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETip 5: \u0026nbsp;Chill your wine faster in ice water \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhite wine is a natural pair for turkey, and you deserve a glass after making the main course.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo get a much quicker chill on a bottle of wine, place it in ice water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWater is a much better conductor than air,\u201d explains Yunker.\u0026nbsp; \u201cThat\u2019s why sticking the bottle in the fridge takes a longer time to cool down.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt takes water much less time to change temperature. That\u2019s why sticking a bottle of wine in cold water will chill it off in a matter of minutes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Applying some science could help you tame turkey terror this Thanksgiving"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA chef responsible for feeding thousands each day and a physicist put some science behind cooking that holiday main course. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A chef responsible for feeding thousands each day and a physicist put some science behind cooking that holiday main course."}],"uid":"28058","created_gmt":"2015-11-25 12:42:04","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:08","author":"Steven Norris","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-11-25T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-11-25T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"473611":{"id":"473611","type":"image","title":"Thanksgiving Turkey","body":null,"created":"1449257190","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:30","changed":"1573140952","gmt_changed":"2019-11-07 15:35:52","alt":"Thanksgiving Turkey","file":{"fid":"203976","name":"istock_000011141452_medium.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/istock_000011141452_medium_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/istock_000011141452_medium_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2318582,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/istock_000011141452_medium_0.jpg?itok=q6IzKDXC"}},"473601":{"id":"473601","type":"image","title":"Last Minute Tips for a Better Turkey","body":null,"created":"1449257190","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:30","changed":"1475895223","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:43","alt":"Last Minute Tips for a Better Turkey","file":{"fid":"203975","name":"sequence_01.still002.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sequence_01.still002_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sequence_01.still002_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":817050,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sequence_01.still002_0.jpg?itok=JvMHjYYD"}}},"media_ids":["473611","473601"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"5273","name":"cooking"},{"id":"246","name":"Georgia Institute of Technology"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"149011","name":"last mintue turkey"},{"id":"960","name":"physics"},{"id":"668","name":"poultry"},{"id":"167040","name":"science"},{"id":"2282","name":"Thanksgiving"},{"id":"148991","name":"thanksgiving tips"},{"id":"149001","name":"thanksgiving turkey tips"},{"id":"3989","name":"turkey"},{"id":"149021","name":"turkey thanksgiving"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESteven Norris\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Social Media Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["snorris@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}