Let's Talk Turkey

©2015 Dawn Gagnon Photography

You know a lot of people seem to be really intimidated by roasting a turkey but it really isn't rocket science. One thing I would caution many people on is the use of brown paper bags to roast your turkey in. This method may be delicious, however be advised there are bonding agents and chemicals in the manufacture of brown paper bags, glues etc. that can be harmful to humans.

Paper mills don't follow FDA guidelines in their facilities because they are not selling consumable items and thus any number of contaminants can be mixed in and added to the paper pulp.Paper bags are not for human consumption so be forewarned.

That being said, turkey is easy to make and having one that is juicy all begins with picking out a good fresh turkey from the super market.
For a turkey to be moist it is important that you don't over cook. The next most important thing is to remember to let the turkey rest for about 1/2 hour before cutting. This gives the juices time to redistribute back into the meat.

If you like crispy skin do remember to add plenty of salt to the top of the turkey and this will make the skin crisp. This is also good to remember for chicken that you roast as well.
Follow the directions for roasting based on the weight or your turkey and remember to remove the inner package that usually contain the neck,heart, and liver.

 I have heard many a story where these were accidentally left in the turkey to roast. You'll also want to check both ends of the turkey before placing in the oven as well because some companies iwill put in gravy packets, etc in the neck end of the turkey as well as in the body cavity.