| 1 | Make sure you have the following: * a large roasting pan. |
| 2 | * vegetable oil and butter, salt and pepper. |
| 3 | * a towel. |
| 4 | You will have greater luck with the drumstick clamp if you grasp it and the slippery turkey with a towel. |
| 5 | * an instant-read thermometer. |
| 6 | This is your most important tool. |
| 7 | With this, you don"t need a roasting chart or a clock. |
| 8 | Read the facts on the dial. |
| 9 | If you don"t have one, get one. |
| 10 | * also make sure you"ve got o a turkey lifter. |
| 11 | Some recipes out there ask the cook to flip a hot turkey from breast to back during cooking, supposedly to distribute juices. |
| 12 | Try this once and you"ll let nature"s browning take its course. |
| 13 | But you will have to lift the turkey out. |
| 14 | I recommend a turkey lifter. |
| 15 | The best turkey lifter looks like snow chains but acts as a sling. |
| 16 | Two strands of metal chain-link lie on the bottom of your roasting pan with handles draped over the side of the pan. |
| 17 | The turkey rests on top of the sling. |
| 18 | You simply grasp both handles and heave. |
| 19 | This device will put an end to burned hands, greasy potholders and lost drumsticks. |
| 20 | * foil. |
| 21 | For great-looking turkeys, lay a sheet of loose foil over the bird halfway through cooking time. |
| 22 | Make it loose, or you"ll steam the bird you"re attempting to roast. |
| 23 | Also, you may need to wrap foil booties around the drumsticks so they don"t get dry and crunchy. |
| 24 | * bulb baster, optional. |
| 25 | Makes basting easy, but begs the question about basting at all. |
| 26 | New thinking discourages basting. |
| 27 | Basting causes streaking through the skin"s sheen. |
| 28 | Turkey skin is so thick that basting really can"t penetrate it. |
| 29 | Basting only keeps the cook busy. |
| 30 | * a strainer. |
| 31 | For straining clear juices for gravy. |
