(NAPSA)—When it’s turkey time at your house—whetherfor a holiday or just because that big bird tastes so good—there are a few tips from TV chef Sara Moulton and Chef’sChoice to always keep in mind andat hand. Moulton’s latest cookbook, “Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101,” offers this advice on how to prepare androast your turkey: How MuchFoodTo Figure You'll need around one to 1% poundsof turkey per person (depending on whether you wantleftovers). Smaller birds have less meat. Expect about % cup of gravy per person, which allowsfor leftovers. You'll need about 1% tablespoons of fat and 1% tablespoons of flour per cup of stock. Thawing A Frozen Turkey It’s best to thaw your turkey in a refrigerator that’s at 40 degrees or cooler. A good rule of thumb is to allow 24 hours of thawing time for every four to five pounds of turkey. Begin By Brining Brining yourbird will result in a moist and flavorful turkey. You shouldn’t brine a kosher turkey, which has already been salted, as the drippings will be too salty to use for gravy. Start by gently separating the turkey skin from the breast meat, legs and thighs without breaking the skin. Rub 1 tablespoon salt evenly inside turkey cavity, 1% teaspoons under the skin of each breast and 1% teaspoons under the skin of each leg/thigh. Wrap turkey in plastic wrap or tightly in a plastic bag. Chill for 24 to 36 hours. Pat very dry and roast as follows. Roast Turkey Recipe Preheat oven to 325 F. Arrange an oven shelf in the lower third of the oven. Remove neck and giblets from body cavity of turkey. Drain juices, pat bird dry inside andout. If stuffing, stuff right before roasting and return legs to tucked position. Arrange turkey breast side up in a rack (preferably a v-rack) and set in a heavy, large roasting pan. Melt a stick of butter and brush turkey all over with onethird of the butter. Season with salt and pepper, cover loosely with foil. Pour two cups of chicken broth into the bottom of roasting pan and roast turkey in the lower To look sharp when carving a turkey, make sure the knife you use is sharp, advises cookbook author and chef Sara Moulton. third of the oven for one hour. Uncover and baste with another third of the butter. Re-cover turkey and roast until approximately half way through the total cooking time. Uncover the turkey, baste with remaining butter and roast, uncovered, until a thermometer, when inserted in the thickest part of the leg thigh joint, reaches 165 F. Transfer turkey to a platter, leaving the drippings in the pan for the gravy, and cover the turkey loosely withfoil. After turkey is cooked, let it rest for 20 minutes. While it’s resting, make sure your knives are sharp. “Remember, a sharp knife is very important when it comes to holiday food prep, carving the turkey and removing the wishbone!”, says Sara. Turkey Carving Tips From Chef’sChoice Step One: Sharpen your knives. Not only are sharp knives safer, they'll help you smoothly cut thin, even slices without shredding the meat. Behind every beautifully carved turkey is a sharp knife. Fortunately, the Chef’sChoice highly acclaimed XV EdgeSelect applies a flawless, ultrasharp, triple-bevel Trizor XV edge while precision guides eliminate guesswork. In fact, Cook’s Illustrated, published by America’s Test Kitchen, “Highly Recommended” the Chef’sChoice Trizor XV Model 15 electric knife sharpener, and noted that, “with diamond abra- sives and a spring-loaded chamber that precisely and gently guided the blade, it purred with perfection, consistently producing edges that were sharper than on brandnew knives from edgeto tip.” The magazine also noted this “big perk: it can convert a 20-degree edge to a sharper 15 degrees.” To avoid stress, carve the bird in the kitchen, not at the table. x Step Two: (tip from Sara Moulton) Re- move the wishbone. Use knife tip, cutting down on either side of _| the bone. Step Three: | Pull the leg away from the body and cut through the boneat the joint, \| then remove the 4 breast by carving along the rib cage. “ Step Four: Cut the breast against the grain for perfect, even slices. Learn More For further knife facts and carving tips, visit chefschoice.com orcall (800) 342-3255.
