How To Make the Perfect Thanksgiving Day Turkey

Want to learn how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving Day Turkey? It’s rather easy with our step-by-step Thanksgiving Day Turkey techniques. Additionally, we’re sharing Martha Stewart’s Perfect Roast Turkey tips and recipes. Bon appétit!

Step One – Thaw and clean your turkey: The best way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator. As other methods like leaving it out on the counter or running cold water over it means you run the risk of contaminating the kitchen. This is where you will have to plan ahead. Allow for 30 minutes per pound in the fridge. If you forget until the night before, you can do the cold water trick in a pinch. Secure the turkey in a plastic bag and submerge in cold water; just make sure to change the water every half hour.

Step Two – Take out the neck and giblets: While you won’t want these with your actual turkey, the neck and giblets can add an excellent flavor to your gravy.

Step Three – Butter that bird. Everywhere. Slather the entire skin and gently separate the skin of the breast so that you can spread more under the skin, over the breast meat. Generously salt and pepper the bird, including the cavity and add your favorite aromatic herbs and vegetables to the cavity. Onions, apples, sage, thyme: this is your time to be creative. Herbs placed under the breast skin will flavor the meat as well as show through the crackling golden skin when the bird is finished.

Step Four – Cook your bird at the proper temperature: In order to avoid contamination, all poultry should be cooked at a temperature of 325 degrees F or higher. For turkey, your oven temperature will be based on your cooking method:

- 325 degrees – traditional oven pan

- 450 degrees – foil-wrapped turkey

- 350 degrees – oven cooking bag

- 325-350 degrees – charcoal grill

Check in on your turkey every once and a while as it cooks and baste or spoon some of the drippings back over the bird. All that butter will reward you with a brown, crackling skin and moist flavorful meat.

For a moist and tender turkey that is cooked through, the optimum temperature on your meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Remember, like all meat, your turkey will continue to cook for a bit while it rests (which allows the juices to run back into the meat.) Let the bird rest out of the oven for about a half an hour before you carve, so that the juices remain in the meat and not all over your cutting board.

Also, Martha Stewart has a recipe for a traditional roast turkey that includes brining the bird for 24 hours.

Martha Stewart’s Perfect Roast Turkey
Serves 12 to 14

3 cups coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
5 cups sugar
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, plus freshly ground pepper
1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, giblets and neck reserved for gravy
Gravy
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
Chestnut Stuffing
Crab apples, fresh rosemary sprigs, and fresh sage, for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. Put salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.

2. Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Stir together melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.

4. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.

5. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, add giblets and neck to pan 1 1/2 hours after reducing temperature; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.

6. Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter. Set pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking the turkey until the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees. For a moister bird, we cooked ours to 165 degrees; it will continue to cook outside the oven as it rests.

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Best Wines for Thanksgiving

Everyone, from the casual wine drinker to top sommeliers, has different thoughts about Thanksgiving Day wine pairings. Those who think the most important part of choosing wine is determining what will go with turkey generally gravitate towards middle of the road selections, light reds like Beaujolais Nouveau or Pinot Noir, or fuller whites like Chardonnay. These wines add an element of moisture to the chronically dry Thanksgiving turkey, have enough body to elevate the bird, and yet are light enough to not overpower.

Turkey is no more than a clean surface for highlighting the powerful sweet and savory flavors found in Thanksgiving side dishes. Turkey may be the centerpiece, but the really terrific flavors are in the sides. Wines to match the sides, from mashed potatoes to stuffing, should be light in body, yet complex enough that they can work with a wide variety of flavors. Put both whites and reds on the table, so guests can try both, and help themselves to whichever they prefer. Here’s our wine suggestions for the perfect Thankgiving Day meal:

Leon Beyer Gewurztraminer, Alsace 2003 – The gingery-pear flavor compliments the sweet tang of cranberries, the toastiness of nuts and the licorice-like flavor of fennel.

Furthermore Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2008 – Their Pinot Noir has a Wine Spectator rating of 92, so it’s not a surprise that we adore Furthermore. With a velvety cherry profile and light floral aromas, this light wine pairs perfectly with turkey.

Chalk Hill Chardonnay, Chalk Hill, Sonoma 2003 – I prefer the lush tropical fruit of this new world Chardonnay to compliment the richness of the sweet potatoes, plus there’s plenty of toasty oak which has gorgeous affinity with the truffle oil.

Jacquesson Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Champagne, France – One of our favorite blanc de blancs, meaning made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, on the market. It’s complex, yet delicate and racy.

Ravenswood Belloni Vineyard Zinfandel, Sonoma 2003 – The Belloni single vineyard contains some of the county’s oldest Zin vines. The chocolatey-fig flavors and scents are rich, and the finish is endless.

Rivetti Moscato d’Asti La Spinetta, Italy 2004 – The refreshing apricot-honeysuckle flavor of this wine are perfect for dessert, simply fantastic with pumpkin and apple pie.

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Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson releases bow tie collection

Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband, Justin Mikita, and their non-profit advocacy organization, Tie The Knot, have announced their fourth collection of bow ties. Personally designed by Ferguson and Mikita, the brand new bow ties will be available at the store and online, with all proceeds from the sale of the bow ties being donated to charities promoting marriage equality on behalf of the LGBT community. Each tie retails at $25.00, is handmade and self-tie. This year, the tie collection features Pro-Athlete All-Star guest designers, including former NFL player Scott Fujita, NFL player Chris Kluwe and Phoenix Mercury WBNA player Brittney Griner.

In addition to selling the online, the ties will be available in a pop-up store in the Beverly Hills Center through January 10, 2014. This year’s collection will be available, as well as past bow ties designed by guest such as Isaac Mizrahi and George Takei.

Tie The Knot co-founder Jesse Tyler Ferguson boasts, “Just in time for the holidays, Tie The Knot is excited to make its world premiere into the space of brick-and-mortar. We have been so pleased by the outpouring of support and are excited to bring a bold and fashion ­forward gift, which supports a right as fundamental as marriage equality, to the center of Los Angeles’ fashion industry.”

You can get the new collection online at thetiebar.com.

Here’s a look at a few of the ties in the collection:

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First look at the Porsche Macan

Porsche has unveiled the 2015 Macan crossover. The Macan trims revealed include the sporty S and the Turbo models. Both models have all-wheel-drive , seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission and twin-turbocharged V-6 power. The S produces 340 hp, while the Macan Turbo has a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 that knocks out 400 hp. The Turbo can go from 0-60 in just 4.6 seconds. The S model can do the deed in 5.2 seconds.

Inside there are numerous tech touches, including a hard drive-based navigation system with 7-inch touchscreen display, superior sound system, smartphone connectivity for Apple iOS and Android systems, and a wide range of camera and radar based assistance systems.

Expect the base Macan to be priced at under $50,000 (especially if a 4-cylinder engine option is made available). That would make it the lowest priced Porsche on the market.

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Calvin and Hobbes Christmas Lawn Decorations

A Sacramento home gets into the Christmas spirit with custom-created Calvin and Hobbes (and picketing snowmen) Christmas lawn decorations. Found via Reddit.

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La Cornue W. by Jean Michel Wilmotte

Take a look at La Cornue’s newest collection set to launch in 2014. The W Collection has been created in collaboration with famed French architect-designer, Jean Michel Wilmotte, and is the first launch from La Cornue in 30 years.

“Creating an attractive modern alternative to traditional French art de vivre, offering an innovative culinary range, designed as a real professional reference, a line that is as lasting and prestigious as all our others,” states Xavier Dupuy, La Cornue Chairman and grandson of Albert Dupuy who founded the brand in 1908.

This is the first time in thirty years that La Cornue has created a new model. It is also the first time in the history of electrical appliances that a stove has been created by a top designer. According to the company, it has taken four years of development to create this original range dedicated to design and architecture. And with it, the La Cornue brand, the very symbol of French-style art de vivre, proclaims loud and clear that it is part of the 21st century whilst retaining its DNA: the spirit of innovation and gourmet hedonism.

Their culinary products are made in France, individually and to order, by La Cornue craftsmen.

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Mercedes reveals ‘Gran Turismo’ vision

The Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo, a virtual supercar concept, is set to make a real-world debut at the company’s new US R&D center in California.

It turns out that the concept car, which was created for “Gran Turismo 6,” the Playstation racing game, is more than simply a collection of pixels and computer code.

A real-life, scale 1:1 version of the 585hp, super-light-weight car, complete with heads-up display and gullwing doors, will be arriving in Sunnyvale, California to mark the official opening of Mercedes-Benz’s new Research and Development facility on November 19.

The car, which manages to pay homage to the marque’s supercars of decades past, such as the 300SL, while also being clearly a visitor from the automotive future, blends long, feminine flowing lines with aggressive animalistic front and rear haunches that cover the car’s oversized alloy wheels.

Under the hood is a front mid-mounted V8 biturbo engine courtesy of AMG and as the car is built using an aluminum space frame adorned with carbon fiber, it tips the scales at just 1385kg, meaning that it offers a power-to-weight ratio of 1hp to every 2.4kg.

To mark the game’s 15th anniversary, its developer, Polyphony Digital Inc., approached a number of car companies, including Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin and Volkswagen, as well as legendary automotive design studios Bertone, ItalDesign Giugiaro and Zagota and asked them to create exclusive virtual concept cars which will be released as gifted downloadable content to gamers as online updates.

And when the game goes on sale in December, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo will be the first concept that players will be able to download.

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