Definitely baste !! Spice can be just good sea salt and pepper rubbed into the skin ... and put some butter or oil on if you want the skin crispy ... And I would reccomend what your sister did last time , putting bacon over the top of the turkey .

Spices could just simply be salt pepper....celery salt.... sage... anything. I have my own personal little secret. I use italian dressing to baste to turkey.. if has all the spices built in and is easy to find... err well here anyway :-) Good luck - I cant wait to see the photos and hear how it goes after you all get back from urgencias.... oops did I say that?

Wooooooooaaaaaahhh Hold up a minute - I just read your blog post and saw your shopping list. Now - I dont mean to judge - but I noticed that you bought a measuring cup... umm does that mean you didnt own one before? I think perhaps in a kitchen where, just yesterday, there did not even exist a measuring cup - cooking a full on Thanksgiving meal might be just a tad bit ambitious... However I also noticed that you are using cooking bags so your basting question is moot because the bag self bastes and you arent allowed to open the bag once you start cooking - so it is easier... but I am a little concerned about the heretofore lack of even a measuring cup in your kitchen ... leaves a slight doubt in my mind as to your readiness to tackle the BIG BIRD ... baby steps Madrid Man..baby steps... you probably should have started with .. say... jello

Yes, gazpacho, I was stationed at Torrejon AB in 1960 & 1961. That San Pavo thing was sort of a joke, although it really happened

I was long gone from the Air Force when you were at Torrejon.

The (Madrilena) wife and I have been back numerous times: once to visit Benidorm where we Honeymooned. We usually stay with relatives in Almeda de Osuna out near Barajas, or at their beach place outside Huelva.

Another cousin has a piso on Playa Muchavista, Campello (Alicante) - we have stayed with her a couple of times

Eddie,

The Philippina wife, who I married in Torrejon, and I have also been back three times, 1994, 1999 and 2002. We have visited different parts of Spain but spend the most time around Madrid.

We always go back and visit Torrejon de Ardoz. It must be five times larger than it was when I lived there.

CascadaDuSel,

I have similar concerns about the MadridMan not even owning a measuring cup. Now that's a diehard bachelor.

MadridMan-I noticed that one item on your list was a baking bag. That was good choice. But, it also answers the basting question; not only is basteing unnecessary but it is also impossible without opening the bag. Just follow the directions and it will be fine. I have recommended to many a non-cook to use the bags.

When in doubt, I follow a basic philosophy-WWJD. (What would Julia (Child) do).

Luckily I have Thursday off and WON'T be cooking!

Good luck!

Good basic Thanksgiving turkey recipe using a bag

Tick-Tock. I didn't sleep much last night - ALREADY - because I'm stressing over the turkey cooking. But now that I have more information from you guys and from other internet sources like http://www.honeysucklewhite.com/ , I'm feeling more relaxed.

But I don't have one of those plastic pop-up timers or a meat thermometer!!!

Here's my plan - feel free to critique:

We'll have 7 persons
I'm ordering a fresh, 6-Kilo turkey (=13lbs)
I'll be preheating the oven to 160ºC/320ºF
rinse the bird inside and out, pat dry
INSIDE: 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon pepper
OUTSIDE: brush with olive oil, salt & pepper
FILLING: adding onions, garlic clove, lemons, parsley, rosemary(?) (this filling, they say, is to be discarded after cooking. REALLY??)
COOK: breast up, at 325ºF/163ºC for 3.5-4.0 hours

The Reynolds brand turkey cooking oven bags say to preheat the oven to 350ºF (?? AND COOK THE 13 POUND TURKEY FOR ONLY 2-2.5 HOURS?? ), add 1 tablespoon of flour to the inside of the bag to keep the bag from bursting ( ). After putting the turkey in the bag and sealing it, it says to cut six 1/2 inch slits in the top of the bag to allow steam to escape. But won't this dry out the turkey?? Maybe not too much. It also says the bag should expand and to be careful they can't touch the heating elements. Hmmm... That would be bad if the bag melted around the turkey. Inside the Reynolds Oven Bags there are yet more instructions and guidelines about how to cook the turkey. I feel safer now.

But the boxes of turkey stuffing mix I bought say the following:
SO WHY, in the far above description given by http://www.honeysucklewhite.com/ , should I discard the stuffing after the bird is cooked??

Could/Should I put bacon over the top to add flavor?? (actually it was) My cousin did it last year and it was fine - although I don't recall it tasting different. But she had the turkey in a turkey pan and it was covered (with space) with aluminum foil.


And yes, I DID have to buy a measuring cup. There's not one in this house! I suppose the Spanish just "know" how much they need to add without measuring it exactly. And, by the way, AFTER bringing home the measuring cup I did find a kind of tall, tubular container which had not only liters but ounces as well - unbeknownst to me! hehehe.. (I NEVER COOK!) There definitely are no measuring spoons either, as far as I've noticed (but have never looked, either. ).

I'll also buy today, corn-on-the-cob (in vacuum-sealed plastic), dried potato flakes (I know, that's cheating), and some snacks for before dinner munching. Wednesday evening I'll bakes the pies and have them ready.

Speaking of pumpkin pie, the pumpkin-pie-mix says to add evaporated milk and eggs. WHERE THE HECK AM I GOING TO FIND EVAPORATED MILK????!?!?! AND JUST NOW I SEE THAT THIS 30 OZ. CAN SAYS IT ONLY MAKES ONE PUMPKIN PIE!!! ARGH! I ASSUMED IT WOULD MAKE TWO - because they had 15-oz. cans there too, and I assumed THAT would make one pie. ARGH! %$"&*! That means I have to go back to The American Store!! What a royal pain in the ARSE that is, taking about 2 hours total round trip on the metro, walking, waiting. I guess if I was desperate I could spend 20+ Euros on a round trip taxi ride to get another 4.75 Euros can of Pumpkin Pie Filling! ARGH!!!

So the biggest discrepancy is HOW LONG to cook the 13 Pound turkey!?!?! One source says to cook it for 3.5 to 4 hours and another source says to cook it for 2.5 to 3 hours! Ah, man! Maybe I need to find a meat thermometer to be safe?!

HERE'S HOPING NO ONE GETS SENT TO URGENCIAS AFTER THE SAN PAVO DINNER!(thanks, CascadaDuSel! hehehe... )

MadridMan,

The instructions you just cited are exactly the same way I prepare my own turkey every year. The baking bag is practically a "no-brainer". And, no, the slits will not dry out the turkey, but they are necessary to prevent the bag from exploding. Also, as it says, shake a little flour inside the bag before placing the turkey inside. You can look at the bird after 2 1/2 hours. If it is a nice golden brown, and not white it should be done. I believe that the trick is to remove the wing from the carcass. If it pulls of easily, the bird is cooked. Also, if you cut into the meat and see pink, put the bird back in for another hour or so.


You can baste the turkey, even in the bag through the slits. That is what I usually do. With an American style turkey, you shouldn't need bacon because they are injected with enough water and have enough fat to be moist. I've never done it this way, but you can try it. It won't hurt anything. You're on the right track, and it really isn't that difficult. Even I can do it and I don't cook much at all.

It sounds like the honey suckle white instructions are not for dressing, but only for flavor. If you stuff the bird with a dressing, please do not throw the dressing out but eat it with the meal. Since a 13 lb. bird, won't require much dressing to stuff it, I usually scoop the dressing out and mix it with dry dressing. I boil the giblets and use the water to moisten the dry/wet mix a little more. Also you can use the juice in the bottom of the bag.

Again, best of luck my friend, and I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Just being with friends like you will make it a very special day.

If you are stuffing the bird with the bread stuffing mix you bought then you dont need to use the spices from the other recipe and you dont need to discard anything.

The baking bags cut the cooking time in half - and since the meat is basically steamed it will be super moist - very different from dry roasting a Turkey but very good if you like moist meat.

And for heavens sake dont use flaked potato .. please!! All you need to do to make mashed potatoes is to peel then boil the potatoes and then mash with butter, salt and splash of milk .. no measuring cup required ..:-)

I think the bacon might be tasty to eat on its own but probably wont add too much flavor to the turkey so you can skip if you want.

I am still not ruling out a trip to urgencias but on the bright side I doubt the bag will explode since you have so thoroughly read the directions..

And good luck finding 350 F - my spanish oven doesnt even have a temp gauge on it - its either on or off ...

You can buy evaporated milk in most grocery stores. It's called leche evaporada and the usual brand is "Ideal."