Sous-vide
“under pressure” (translated from French) may be also known as cryovack cooking. In a commercial context, food items are placed in vacuum pouches and then the oxygen is removed with a cryovack machine and cooked at various low temperatures (usually between 120-190 degrees Fahrenheit).
Zip-loc style bags do a similar job and are good to use at home and are of course a practical and economic alternative.
(turkey leg sausage two ways, with lingonberries and kapocha squash)
Under Pressure – Cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey
The pressure is on to have a delicious bird. The legs should be cooked all the way through, the turkey breast should be moist and tender and a crispy skin should wrap the whole thing, and let’s not forget the stuffing that has to be cooked/heated to at least 165 degree Fahrenheit to be safe for consumption in the very middle of your turkey. Let me tell you something to relieve the pressure: whether you steam the turkey first then finish it in an oversized frying vessel or whole roast the thing on low temperature and finish it on a high heat setting IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN. See, a turkey leg needs longer to be cooked through all the way compared to the breast, and the stuffing does too. Meaning the bird parts have to be cooked at different temperatures and times for optimal results. And be sure to cook it through otherwise salmonella bacteria might come into the game if present. More info about salmonella...
If the center of turkey is not heated to 165 degree Fahrenheit (for at least four minutes) salmonella bacteria might enter your body and you spend some quality “seating” time in the bathroom. Happy Thanksgiving.
Some Restaurant Cookery Tricks
In the restaurant we cook anywhere from 14-20 huge turkeys on Thanksgiving day next to fish, meat options and various matching sides. I have my family most of the time over at the restaurant at some point during that day to dine and celebrate and I don’t have to worry about a perfectly roasted turkey. Not only do I obviously have more help than the average home cook but we also cook turkey in a different way. If you don’t have to show your turkey whole -- like on just about any cover of most of the fashionable food magazine around this time of the year (showing turkeys which are most likely not edible anyway) then try my recipe below. (If you need a model turkey for display you can always have one for looks then the below recipe for taste!).
Recipe for sous-vide turkey for home:
Special equipment for this type of cooking consists of large Zip-Log style bags, a pot filled with hot water and a kitchen thermometer. Not bad right? These guidelines work for any size turkey.
- Cut turkey breast from breast bone, then cut turkey legs from cavity (cut/remove leg bone out of turkey leg). Leave skin attached to legs and breast.
-Prepare a simple turkey brine by mixing Kosher-style salt with water (1 cup salt : 1 gallon water). Brine turkey parts for 24 hours (for a turkey around 14 pounds or an eight pounder around 12 hours and so forth).
-Rinse turkey with water (this will wash off brine). Wrap turkey and a small rosemary branch (about 2-inches long) tightly with plastic wrap, forming sausage like tubes (this will give it a nice shape and seal in juices when cooked).
-Transfer wrapped turkey parts into large Zip-Loc style bags (2-4 bags depending on size of turkey parts). Press air out of bag then close plastic zipper.
-Fill a pot (large enough to hold turkey filled bags) with hot tap water then heat to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Preheat oven to highest setting (450-500 degrees Fahrenheit).
-Put turkey stuffed bags into hot water pot and cook turkey. My turkey parts cook for 50 minutes. (A rule of dumb for cooking time at that temperature is 25 minutes per inch of turkey part thickness, a few minutes more or less is not a problem.) Temperature of water will lower when you insert the turkey stuffed bags. The temperature should be kept at 165 degrees Fahrenheit (check temperature with kitchen thermometer). You can achieve that by putting the setting of the gas stove (or electric stove) on lowest heat setting (if cooking water gets too hot add a cup of cold water). The temperature is a no-brainer it just takes a little trial and error to get the temperature right, it depends on your stove.
-Take turkey parts out of Zip-Loc style bags and unwrap from plastic wrap. Dry turkey parts with kitchen paper towel then season with salt and fresh pepper. Heat vegetable oil in skillet and cook turkey on all sides (5-10 minutes) until browned. Baste with walnut sized piece of butter if you like. Rest turkey parts for five minutes before slicing.
(Left: we tried different brands of cooking pouches all performed well at low temperatures. Beyond 170 degress Fahrenheit the Zip-loc brand was our favorite in terms of durability)
(Right: turkey sausage & shoulder steak in water bath cooking)
Quality Family Time
Turkey cooked in this style will always be moist and it really is kind of fool proof. Let’s not forget the extra worry free time with your folks or friends not having to baste that sucker every ten minutes in order to get moisture and that beautiful “magazine cover” copper skin.
(can't wait to cook some vegetables for the turkey)
