GOURMET CHEF: ‘DON’T BASTE YOUR TURKEY’

GOURMET CHEF: ‘DON’T BASTE YOUR TURKEY’

SAN FRANCISCO (Wireless Flash) – A San Francisco-based chef has discovered the reason so many Thanksgiving turkeys are dry as a bone: They’ve been basted. Marc Vogel says the practice of squirting boiling turkey juices on the bird actually saps the meat of its moisture, opening up the pores and sucking out the juice. Now, he wants holiday chefs to stop basting pronto and use a method he calls “Hi-Heat Cooking.” The process involves drying the turkey inside and out with paper towels, coating it in oil and herbs – but not salt – and cooking it in an 500 degree oven. This supposedly seals the meat and creates a “carmelized skin” which keeps the meat moist and prevents juices from running out into the pan.

Fri 11-16-01