Let's Cooking: TNL!

[icarusfall]

Holla!

[Tones]

You know what I love about the holidays? All of the fresh/thawed out turkeys that didn't sell by Christmas are marked down to ridiculously low prices. I bought a 13 lb fresh turkey for $3.

[Nomi]

I need to figure out how to cook a bird properly. I always see turkeys and chickens (whole) on sale but I'm afraid of messing it up.

[Tones]

Whole poultry is kind of a pain and time consuming to make, but I enjoy making them. The good part is they provide a week's worth of meals, easily. With this turkey, It's going to be eaten plain the day I make it, made for sandwiches the next day or two, soup after that, and if I have a lot of meat left over, a pot pie to go in the freezer.

Easily, my favorite quality about whole poultry is how much quality broth you can make from them. This turkey will probably yield a gallon of quality stuff. I'll freeze a few container for risottos, fill an ice cube tray, and use the rest for soup.

Over Thanksgiving I learned how to make giblet gravy so I'm really looking forward to making that again.

[Nomi]

Yeah, I've got a big stock pot now, I really want to do some broth on my own. I figured I should learn to cook a chicken and then do the broth after that.

[Advocate]

Yeah, I've got a big stock pot now, I really want to do some broth on my own. I figured I should learn to cook a chicken and then do the broth after that.

No.

If you cook the chicken then make a broth you lose the flavor.

Cook the chicken in the stock pot with the water barely above the chicken. Add chicken bouillon and veggies. Preferable the Holy Trinity ... onions, carrots, and celery.

also: beer can chicken ... please believe.

[Tones]

Eh, I've had plenty of success roasting a chicken/turkey and then boiling the carcass/bones/remnants for a few hours.

[Advocate]

I've also had plenty pf success my way. I like my way cause I know the flavor in the pan is being used in my stock.

why? when I roast a chicken I use a roasting pan. When I make a stock I use a stock pot.

[animegirl]

It tastes pretty good if you make stock with roasted chicken but I do agree that if you use the whole chicken raw it has more flavor. It's not like a huge difference though.

Oh and I made some roasted sweet potatoes for a side to my steak the other night and they were awesome. Just cut some up added salt, pepper, cinnamon and chili powder and a little oil. Awesome, I need to eat sweet potatoes more often.

[sleeve]

No.

If you cook the chicken then make a broth you lose the flavor.

Cook the chicken in the stock pot with the water barely above the chicken. Add chicken bouillon and veggies. Preferable the Holy Trinity ... onions, carrots, and celery.

The problem with this method is that the broth turns extremely fatty and rich, making it less useful as a stock. Better to save the bones, boil them, rinse, and then simmer with vegetables and spices for a few hours whilst straining the fat from the top.