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How to cook a turkey to perfection?

The chef's secret:pre-cook or marinate the turkey

Want to treat yourself to a good turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving? To obtain a tasty turkey, with both tasty and melting flesh, there is a trick:poach it for about twenty minutes in a flavored broth with vegetables and herbs before roasting it in the oven. Try it, you will see the difference yourself! There is also another technique to obtain a perfectly cooked turkey:rub the entire surface of the turkey as well as the inside with a good amount of coarse salt. Then place it in a large pot, cover it with water and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Thus, the turkey will marinate for several hours in salted water and its flesh will be all the tastier. Before cooking, rinse the turkey for a long time in clear water and discard the water. Then cook it in the oven as normal.

Cooking the turkey, instructions for use

Given the size of the animal (between 5 and 8 kg on average), it takes several hours of cooking:count at least 3h30 to 4h of cooking to obtain a turkey cooked to perfection! On the cooking side, there are several methods:some bake it in a cold oven then gradually and regularly increase the temperature of the oven. Others bake it in a very hot oven, and gradually lower the temperature of the oven. It's up to you to choose the method you prefer. In both cases, there is an essential tip to follow:it is important to baste the turkey very regularly during cooking with its own juices. This is the secret to preventing the flesh from drying out. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, you can add some diced potatoes, which will cook in the cooking juices of the turkey.