Thanksgiving is only a couple weeks away! As grocery stores start making room for all your favorite holiday ingredients, it's time for me to share some tips on how you can make your tastiest turkey yet!
Tip #1: Thaw
While you can thaw chicken breasts in just a few hours, turkeys take a lot longer to defrost. Because of its large size, start thawing your turkey at least three days before Thanksgiving in the refrigerator. You want to make sure that center of the turkey is fully thawed out. That way you'll know that all parts of the turkey cook evenly. I also encourage you to purchase an instant read thermometer. When the thickest part of the turkey registers 175-180 degrees, you'll know your turkey is cooked to perfection.
Tip #2: Baste
I want you to serve your turkey with pride knowing that it's flavorful and juicy. Basting is the key to making sure it doesn't dry out. After the turkey has been cooking for 30-45 minutes, cover it with its own juices or a marinade you've prepared. You can do this with a turkey baster or a spoon. Continue to baste the turkey every 15- 20 mins until it's finished cooking. This might sound tedious, but as soon as you bite into your perfectly tender turkey, you'll know it was worth the work.
Tip #3: You Don't Have To Bake It
Baking is not the only way to cook a turkey, it's just the most popular one. You can also smoke it, deep fry it or grill it. Out of these three alternative methods, I prefer grilling since I can do it right in my own backyard. I first section the turkey into smaller pieces. That'll help cut my cooking time way down. I then lightly season the pieces before placing it on the grill and start basting it 30 mins later. If you want to grill a turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner, check out my recipe for Pomegranate Glazed Grilled Turkey.
I hope these tips come in handy for your Thanksgiving Dinner. Be sure to tag me in your turkey pics, I want to see how they turned out!
Over the past week on CORA-ntine Cuisine, I got to reunite with several friends that Nicole and I have made over the years. Our incredible guests included Maria Shriver, Sheila E, Debi Mazar, Chef Gabriele Corcos, Chef Karen Akunowicz and the Shirley Temple King! Many of the guests spoke of the importance of taking care of your health and eating foods that boost your immune system.
Hey y'all! This past week was one for the books. Not only did we celebrate Greek Easter, but it was also my son Caje's birthday! I got to chat with some incredible special guests including Cameron Mathis, David Burtka, Scott Evans, Chef Andrew Zimmern and superstar film director Tate Taylor! I'm going to share a few of my favorite recipes from last week and fill you in on some of the topics we discussed.
I've had so much fun on CORA-ntine Cuisine this past week. I got to chat with several special guests including Chef Ingrid Hofffman, Chef Dominique Crenn, Cake Wars host Jonathan Bennet and my partners at the Little Kitchen Academy, Felicity and Brian Curin. There's been one common theme in all of my chats so far and that theme is positivity.
