"roast" news and stories

Should a holiday turkey be roasted for a longer time at a lower temperature or for a shorter time at a higher one? According to Robert L. Wolke , author of What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science, one method isn't necessarily better, although the method of using a higher temperature is quite popular at the moment.

A turkey needs to reach an internal temperature of 165F in the thigh meat before it can be considered done. To achieve this, the bird must be cooked at a temperature greater than 165F for long enough to cook it through. The lower the temperature, the longer the time. A common temperature is about 325F, which results in a time of "about 20 minutes per pound." By increasing the temperature to 475F, roasting might take only 2 hours. Time, clearly, is a factor in choosing the latter method. Other advantages include getting a crisper skin and, according to many proponents of the faster method, a moister bird. In the end, it's a flavor and time preference as long as you check the meat with a thermometer to ensure that it really is done.

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The name of the Sili Sling is derived from the fact that it is made of silicone, but it seems fitting for such a strange looking kitchen tool. The sling is designed to lift heavy foods out of a roasting pan, making it a perfect choice on Thanksgiving, as an 15-lb turkey can be difficult to maneuver, to say the least. No one wants to drop the turkey, but you can't leave it in the pan until it is cool and easy to handle, not unless you have no interest in making gravy, anyway. The oval sling is perforated and will not interfere with cooking, nor will it interfere with browning. The handles drape over the side of the pan and should be cool enough to handle after a few moments outside of the oven. Once Thanksgiving is over, you don't need to retire the sling for another year. It can be used for any other type of roasted or baked meat, from ham to fish, and has a maximum capacity of 18-pounds.

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The USDA has some comprehensive food safety guidelines to help you cook your Thanksgiving turkey. While some cookbooks, and probably some chefs, might tell you that cooking times and temperatures should be changed to produce a moister bird, at least you'll get a safe bird from using the USDA's guide. First things first, you need to completely defrost your turkey before beginning. Keep the turkey in its original wrapper as it thaws and try to keep it as cool as possible. It should either be defrosted by being submerged in cold water or on a tray in the refrigerator.

Frozen turkey thawing timetable
Weight In refrigerator In cold water
4 to 12 pounds 1 to 3 days 2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds 3 to 4 days 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds 4 to 5 days 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds 5 to 6 days 10 to 12 hours

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Before you consider investing in La Caja China, there are a couple of questions that you need to ask yourself. The first is, how serious are you about cooking pork? The second is, how much meat do you want to cook at one time?

La Caja China is - quite literally - a large box that is used for roasting a pig in Chinese fashion, though it is hugely popular in Florida's Cuban community and anywhere else that people want to roast whole pigs. The medium sized model costs almost $300 and can hold up to a 70-lb pig (the large can handle a 100-lb swine). If you don't want to go the whole hog, it can also be used to roast 16-18 whole chickens, 4-6 turkeys, 8-10 pork ribs slabs, 8-10 pork shoulders or any other type of meat, all at the same time.

The way that it works is that a dressed pig is laid inside the box. The box is shut and covered with charcoal. After a few hours inside the aluminum-lined Caja China, the meat of the pig is cooked. At that point, the pig is flipped over - getting the skin side nearer to the indirect heat source - and the skin crisps up to be a dark golden color. The whole process takes a few hours, but connoisseurs say that the juicy meat and crispy skin is worth every minute of waiting time, although you may want to run errands or something while the pig cooks.

As for getting a whole pig, you're on your own.

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Asparagus is a vegetable, which is actually a member of the Lily family, and one that has been grown for more than 2,000 years. It is very high in antioxidants and was valued for its perceived medicinal purposes in ancient Rome, where it was used to treat everything from cuts to toothaches. They also thought of it as a aphrodisiac.

It takes about 3 years after a "crown" is planted that an asparagus plant will begin to produce stalks. Once they get started, the plants grow fast - very fast. Under optimal conditions, such as mild, warm weather, the spears may have to be harvested every 24 hours during their season, which begins in late spring and lasts for about three months. White asparagus comes from the same plant as green, but is grown underground. Lack of exposure to the light prevents chlorophyll from developing and keeps the stalks white. Almost 80% of the country's asparagus is grown in California, and while many states have small crops, the balance of the commercial product is grown in Washington and Michigan.