Cooking Tip: The Roast Turkey Dinner

Question: Should I roast my turkey in a bag?

Answer: Please don’t!
There is too much negative publicity about toxins connected with oven cooking bags. Many manufactures sell oven bags that are FDA approved; however, do you really want to take a chance? If you do decide to use a bag, read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Personally, I see no reason to take the chance of possibly making a mistake in following the guidelines and inadvertently serving toxins to family and friends.

  Here is an alternative. Prepare your turkey for roasting as usual. Place the lid on your roasting pan. Remove the lid after reaching half the cooking time, checking to see if you need to add more water. Brush the turkey with olive oil and butter, and finish cooking the turkey with no lid. You will have a wonderfully moist, golden-brown turkey. My mother and grandmother made delicious turkeys this way — and never used an oven bag. ENJOY!

Daryll Hersche is chef/owner of Your Epicurean Affair, offering cooking lessons and personal chef services in your home. Contact him with your cooking questions at epicureanaffair@gmail.com.