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Home › How to make sun teaSkip Ahead to make sun tea

Solar tea is a great way to make tea without using electricity or gas. Instead, it uses energy from the sun to brew the tea, making it more environmentally friendly and healthy. On a sunny summer day, try making Solar Tea.

You won’t need to boil water or use the microwave, you actually don’t even need a teapot. A regular glass jar and 1 spoonful of tea leaves and sun of course is enough. It quenches your thirst, tastes good and requires no special culinary skills. The drink is also a great way to promote health and immunity.

The main question is: Why brew tea in the sun?

1. Well first of all, sometimes there is simply no other way, when, for example, you do not have access to hot water. Imagine, you have a power outage in your dacha, and the gas is not connected to the house.
2. Secondly, it’s unusual.
3. Third, such tea is difficult to overcook, that is, overcook, and therefore spoil.

First, prepare the ingredients to make a classic sun tea. It is not necessary to spend a lot on products, because everything we will use can be found in everyone’s kitchen.

We will need:

• 2 liters of water
• 4 black tea bags
• 1/2 cup sugar (you can use honey)
• 1/2 lemon
• 3 to 4 sprigs of mint

However, in order to get a tasty and strong drink, you need to take into account some of the subtleties and peculiarities of preparation.

Here are some methods and tips for those who want to learn how to brew delicious sun tea:

What are the best teas for making sun tea?

The best teas for making sun tea are green, black, and white. Puer is probably not suitable. You can also use herbal and fruit blends, either pure or flavored. However, if your blend contains more than just real tea, the brewing time will have to be extended.

Recommended teas:

• Assam Organic Black Tea,
• Yin Gow Mei (green tea),
• Yunnan Grade 1. Black Tea,
• White tea with additives,
• African Rooibos (herbal tea),
• African Rose (herbal tea).

In addition, you can use any classic black tea without additives and add fresh ingredients (berries, fruits) at your discretion.

Use only pure water

For brewing tea, take only fresh and clean water. If necessary, you can use filtered or bottled water.

Choose the right jug

It is best to use glass or plastic jugs with a lid to make sun tea. These jugs allow the sun’s rays to penetrate better, which helps the tea brew faster and more evenly.

Fill the jug properly

To brew sun tea, you need to fill the jug with water, leaving a little space on top. Usually 4-5 cups of water per sachet of tea or per 4-5 teaspoons of tea is enough.

Choose the right location

To brew sun tea, you need to choose a place where there is plenty of sunlight. The ideal place would be a terrace or outdoor balcony where you can put the jug in direct sunlight.

Don’t forget the measure. Don’t go overboard with the amount of tea or the brewing time, as this can lead to a bitter taste. Try to follow the recipe and experiment to find the best balance between amount of tea, brewing time, and water temperature.

How to prepare step by step

1. Choose a large glass or plastic jug with a lid that you can put in the sun. Place tea leaves or sachets of tea, sliced lemon and mint in it. You can use any kind of tea for sun tea – black, green, fruit or herbal.
2. Fill the jug with water, leaving about 5 cm of free space to the edge. Do not fill the jug completely, otherwise the tea will not brew properly. At the same time, grind the lemon and mint to extract the juice.
3. Close the lid of the jug tightly and leave the jug in the sun for several hours. It usually takes 2 to 4 hours in direct sunlight to brew sun tea, depending on the intensity of the sunlight and air temperature. But don’t leave the jug in the sun for too long, as this can reduce the quality of the tea and lead to a bitter taste.
4. When the tea is brewed, carefully remove the lid and remove the tea leaves or sachet. If you want to add sugar, honey, or other flavorings, this is best done after the tea is brewed.

How to serve tea correctly?

Refrigerate the tea in the refrigerator before serving. Once the tea is brewed, chill it in the refrigerator to make it cool and refreshing. If you want to serve the tea immediately after brewing, you can add a few ice cubes.

Some tips for making sun tea are more successful:

• Use only pure water to make the tea to preserve the natural flavor.
• Remember that tea will sour, so do not keep it in the sun for more than 4 hours.
• The tea leaves should be blended every 30 minutes to distribute the aroma and flavor throughout the container.
• Before serving, make sure the tea container is completely clean. You can use a dishwashing brush and vinegar to do this.

Taste the incredible sun tea

Pour the drink into iced glasses and enjoy its refreshing taste.

Sun tea is not only delicious, but also a healthy drink that can be enjoyed any time of year, and especially in the summer when it’s really hot outside. It’s a great way to cool down and perk up. In addition, sun tea offers a variety of flavors and aromas, allowing you to make a drink to your liking and savor it with friends and family. Sun tea will be a real delicacy and will add a twist to any celebration or banquet.

Home › How to make coffee without a coffee makerSkip Ahead to make coffee without a coffee maker

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It invigorates us and helps us get in the mood for a productive day. But what if you don’t have a coffee maker but really want to enjoy this aromatic beverage? No problem!

In this article, I will tell you how to make great coffee without a coffee maker. So, here are a few methods of making coffee:

First method: Making coffee in a pot

This is one of the easiest ways to make coffee at home. All you need is a pot, water, and ground coffee.

Here’s how to make coffee in a pot:

1. Pour the right amount of water into the pot. Usually a 1:8 ratio is used – that is, you need 1.6 liters of water for one cup of coffee (200 ml).
2. Add ground coffee at a ratio of 1-2 tablespoons for every 200 ml of water. The more coffee you use, the stronger and richer the drink will be.
3. Place the pot on the stove and turn on medium heat. Stir the contents of the pot periodically to avoid overheating and the coffee from burning.
4. Drive the coffee to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. At this point, the coffee will stir and infuse. Turn off the heat and allow the coffee to infuse for another 2-3 minutes. This will allow the coffee grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot.
5. Use a spoon to gently remove the foam from the top of the coffee and pour the beverage into cups. Add sugar or other ingredients to taste and enjoy your freshly brewed coffee.

Remember, when making coffee in the pot, it’s important to watch the temperature and infusion time to get the perfect taste of the beverage.

The Second Method: Turkish Coffee

Turkish-style coffee is an ancient method that is still widely used in Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. This method allows you to get a rich flavor and fragrant beverage.

Here’s how to make Turkish coffee:

1. Add the ground coffee to the water and stir it thoroughly.
2. Place the distillery over a low flame and let it heat up. Stir the contents of the distiller periodically so that the coffee does not burn.
3. When the coffee begins to rise to the surface, remove the pot from the heat and add a pinch of cold water. This will help to remove the foam and coffee grounds, which will remain at the bottom of the brew.
4. Put the pot back on the fire, but this time on a higher heat. Allow the coffee to boil. When the coffee is foamy and rises to the rim of the pot, remove it from the heat.
5. Allow the coffee to steep for 1-2 minutes in the pot. Then gently pour the coffee into a cup, leaving the grounds in the distiller.

Turkish coffee is usually served with sweet treats like Turkish desserts or cookies. Now you have a great way to enjoy the rich taste of coffee without using a coffee maker.

The third method: Cold brew coffee

This is a refreshing drink that can be made at home without much effort. There are several ways to make iced coffee, and we’ll look at one of the easiest.

Here’s how to make iced coffee:

1. Pour water into a glass and add coffee at a ratio of 1 to 4. That is, you need 50 grams of ground coffee per 1 cup of water (200 ml).
2. Stir the contents of the glass thoroughly and place it in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
3. After the coffee has infused, strain it through a sieve or gauze to get rid of any remaining coffee grounds.
4. Pour the cold coffee into a glass with ice and add sugar or another sweet ingredient to taste.
5. Add milk or cream to taste. You can use either regular or vegetable milk.
6. Stir the drink and serve.

The fourth method: Italian Coffee

For this method we need finely ground coffee, boiling water and milk.

1. Pour some milk into a cup and put it on a low heat
2. Add one teaspoon of coffee and stir until the coffee dissolves.
3. Add boiling water and stir again.
4. Pour the finished coffee into another cup, leaving some milk foam on the surface. Done!

Fifth method: French Press

This method allows you to preserve the maximum aroma and flavor of your coffee, making it the perfect choice for true coffee connoisseurs.

Here’s how to make coffee using a French Press:

1. Fill the French Press with coarsely ground coffee. Usually use a ratio of 1:15 – that is, you need 15 ml of water per 1 gram of coffee. For example, you would need about 23 grams of coffee for 350 ml.
2. Pour a small amount of hot water (about 95 degrees) into the French Press and let the coffee steep for 30 seconds.
3. Add the remaining water to the French Press, infuse the coffee for another 3-4 minutes. Remember to close the lid of the French Press to keep the heat and aroma of the coffee.
4. Press the piston of the French Press to stop the infusion and separate the coffee grounds from the liquid.
5. Pour the coffee into a cup and enjoy its rich aroma and flavor.

Remember, in order to get the perfect taste of coffee with a French Press, it is important to choose quality fresh roasted coffee, set the grind properly, and monitor the temperature of the water. By following these simple steps, you can enjoy the real taste and aroma of coffee made at home.

The Sixth Method: The Turk

Making coffee using a turkey is one of the oldest and most popular ways to make coffee in the world. A turkey, also known as a jesvah, allows you to preserve the flavor and aroma of the coffee, making it the perfect choice for true coffee connoisseurs.

Here’s how to make coffee using a turkey:

1. Fill the brewpot with freshly ground coarsely ground coffee. Usually use a ratio of 1:10 – that is, you need 10 ml of water per 1 gram of coffee. For example, for 300 ml of coffee, you will need about 30 grams of coffee.
2. Add cold water to the distiller and stir the contents with a spoon.
3. Put the pot on a low heat and let the coffee steep for a few minutes. Remember to keep an eye on the brewing process so that the coffee does not overheat.
4. When the coffee begins to rise, remove the pot from the heat and let it steep for a few more minutes to allow the coffee grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot.
5. Carefully pour the coffee into the cup, trying not to stir the settled coffee grounds. You can add sugar and enjoy the rich aroma and flavor of the coffee.

As you can see, there are many ways to make coffee without a coffee maker. You can choose the one that suits you best and enjoy freshly brewed coffee at home. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to experiment and find your perfect recipe.

Home › Cocktail Hot toddy Skip Ahead to recipe for Hot toddy cocktail

Hot toddy is a classic drink that will warm you up in cold weather and help you relax after a long day. It is also used for healing, the Hot Toddy drink, tastes great and saturates the body with vitamin C. This tea with whiskey, honey, and lemon is the British equivalent of the more popular grog, punch, and mulled wine, but is easier and faster to make.

History

Toddies were invented in the 18th century specifically for women who didn’t like the overly pungent taste of rum or whiskey. Over time, there were many new varieties of this cocktail based on other alcoholic beverages, although the recipe with whiskey is considered a classic. Toddy can be both cold and hot, but the latter variant is much more prevalent, so most often this cocktail is consumed in countries with cold climates: Ireland, England, Sweden, Finland, in the north of the United States. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hot toddy became popular in North America, where it was associated with the treatment of colds and flu.

There are many variations on the theme of this classic drink, and many of them depend on the type of liquor. Nevertheless, common ingredients such as hot water, honey, and lemon are retained in most recipes.

In this article, we’ll tell you how to make two variations of the Hot Tots cocktail in a few simple steps: alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
The non-alcoholic version is suitable for lovers of fine drinks, which have a unique and subtle taste and do not contain alcohol in their stock.

Ingredients needed:

• Grenadine – 20 ml
• Still water – 150 ml
• Orange – 40g
• Apple – 20 gr
• Lemon- 40g
• Lime – 20g
• Honey – 5ml
• Badjanum – 2g
• Cinnamon sticks- 5g
• Cloves – 1g
• Ground nutmeg – 2g
• Аpricots – 8g
• 10 g – prunes
• Tartlet – 1 pc

After you have all the necessary ingredients, you need to prepare the tableware, which we will need for cooking the cocktail.

Needed items:

• Cup – 1pc
• Mudler – 1pc
• Cocktail spoon – 1pc
• Pitcher – 1pc
• Jigger – 1pc.
• Nutmeg grater – 1pc
• Strainer – 1pc.

Now that we have everything we need for the Hot Toddy Cocktail, we can start making it.

Cooking process

1. Put one slice each of lemon, lime and orange in a pitcher and crush with a madder.
2. Add 1 badjan, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 clove and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
3. Pour 20 ml grenadine and 150 ml still hot water.
4. Heat grenadine over a gentle heat without bringing it to the boil.
5. Pour over the strainer into the steaming cup.
6. Change the cinnamon from the pitcher.
7. Serve with a tartlet of prunes, apricots and a slice of apple, topped with honey.

For lovers of weak agliquor, a delicious and flavorful – cocktail “Hot toddy” with alcohol is ideal.

We also need to prepare the necessary ingredients and inventory for the preparation of the cocktail. It is very convenient and speeds up the process as much as possible when everything is at hand.

Assemble the ingredients:

1. Put one slice each of lemon, lime and orange in a pitcher and crush with a madder.
2. Add 1 badjan, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 clove and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
3. Pour 20 ml grenadine and 150 ml still hot water.
4. Heat grenadine over a gentle heat without bringing it to the boil.
5. Pour over the strainer into the steaming cup.
6. Change the cinnamon from the pitcher.
7. Serve with a tartlet of prunes, apricots and a slice of apple, topped with honey.

For lovers of weak agliquor, a delicious and flavorful – cocktail “Hot toddy” with alcohol is ideal.

Cooking process

1. Take a saucepan with a thick bottom and heat it over medium heat.
2. Add the liquor, sugar, cinnamon and cloves to the pot.
3. Stir to allow the sugar to dissolve and the liquor to mix with the spices.
4. Add hot water to the pot, but don’t pour it to the brim. The goal is to make a hot but not thick drink. Stir all the ingredients.
5. Add lemon juice if you want the drink to be sour. It is not absolutely necessary and it depends only on your taste.

Serving and Garnishing

The finished Hot Toddy can be served in mulled wine mugs, mulled wine mugs, or in standard hot drink glasses. A slice of lemon, orange or apple can be added to the cocktail for decoration and added flavor.

Conclusion

A hot toddy is a simple and delicious way to warm up on a cold winter night. Spirits, spices, and sugar combine with hot water to create a nice warm drink that also has therapeutic properties for colds. Hot toddy can be made with a variety of spirits, allowing you to vary the flavor and aroma of the drink.

Important to remember!

Hot toddy contains alcohol, so it should be consumed in moderation. Also, you should not consume this drink if you are taking medications that interact with alcohol.

This is how easy and quick it is to make a Hot Toddy cocktail. The drink can be consumed with baked goods or cheese to complement its flavor. It has the ability to release the flavor of spices, providing a unique experience for enjoying the evening festivities. A hot toddy is the perfect drink for a cold winter night or an evening when you want to relax after a stressful day.

Enjoy!

Home › Christmas Dinner › How to Make Turkey Gravy

Making the turkey gravy is one of the last steps to making the perfect turkey dinner. For me, a good gravy is absolutely essential. I’ll happily drown my turkey and mashed potatoes in it, and then go back for more.

Making gravy isn’t hard at all, and it can be a real safety net if your turkey didn’t turn out quite as perfect as you hoped. If it’s too dry or not flavorful enough, a good turkey gravy will make everything better!

And the best way to make gravy is to make a delicious homemade turkey gravy from the turkey drippings and some turkey stock. And when you’ve just roasted a turkey, all it takes is a little planning.

In this article, I’ll talk about about the different things that go in a good gravy, and then I’ll talk about how to make gravy from those ingredients.

 

What Makes A Good Gravy

Turkey gravy is actually pretty flexible. There are lots of different ways to make an awesome gravy. But it almost always comes down to some combination of these four ingredients: drippings, liquids, flour and seasonings.

Drippings

The real secret to making the best turkey gravy is to use the drippings from a roast turkey. When you roast a turkey, a lot of the juices drip down into the pan. After a while, they start to cook, making them intensely flavorful.

• It’s important to keep an eye on the drippings while the turkey is cooking. If they look like they’re starting to burn, add some water or stock.
• Sometimes accidents happen and drippings burn. In that case, it’s better to not use them at all, because they can get really bitter. But don’t worry. You can still make a great gravy from turkey or chicken stock!

Once the turkey is done roasting, it needs to stand for about 30 minutes. It’s the perfect opportunity to make the gravy! So take the turkey out of the roasting pan, and set it aside. It’s time to think about the drippings.

• You should be able to pour most of the drippings out in a tall pitcher. A tall, thin container is best, because the grease floats up to the top — and it’s easier to degrease a thick layer than a thin one.
• There might be some little brown bits of cooked drippings left in the pan, called the fond. You don’t want to forget the fond, because it’s the most flavorful part!
• The best way to get the fond out is to deglaze the pan. Just heat the pan on the stovetop over medium heat, then add a bit of liquid like turkey stock. Then scrape the bottom and stir.
  • Not all roasting pans can go on the stovetop. Some pans will warp under the heat, which can not only ruin your pan — it can be dangerous and fling hot grease at you.
  • Generally, the thinner a pan is, the more likely it is to warp. But a heavy pan like stainless-steel with an aluminum core is usually perfect for the stovetop.
• If you’re not sure, or if you know your pan can’t go on the stovetop, you can try scraping what you can off the bottom with a spoon or a spatula.
  • If you have a non-stick pan, you should never scrape it. But it shouldn’t be an issue, because the yummy brown bits won’t usually form on a non-stick pan, anyway.

And that’s what you need to know about drippings for our easy turkey gravy.

Liquids

The drippings are the basis for a very tasty turkey gravy, but they’re not all you need.

You might not have enough drippings to make enough gravy for everyone, or they might be too intensely flavored and need to be diluted a bit. Or you might not even have drippings at all!

So you need some flavorful liquids to make the bulk of your gravy. Here are a few options:

• Turkey stock or broth is the best option for an easy turkey gravy. You’re guaranteed that the flavor will blend well with your drippings!
  • You can make turkey broth with the giblets. Put them in a pot, cover them with a few cups of water, and then simmer them for a few hours. You can add some onions, celery, carrots or garlic to the pot for some extra flavor.
  • Once the broth is done, keep the liquid but toss out the rest.
  • You can make the broth ahead of time. It’ll keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and you can freeze it for months.
• If you don’t have turkey stock on hand, you can use chicken stock, too. If you have homemade chicken stock, it’ll be even better.
• You can use other less flavorful liquids, too — the drippings provide plenty of flavor. If you’re making mashed potatoes, you can use the potato cooking water. You can even use just plain old water.
• If you want to add a bit of a different flavor, you can use fruit juices (like apple juice), vegetable juices, or a bit of white wine.
• If you want a creamy gravy that’s more like a white gravy, you can add a bit of milk or cream to the mix.

The liquids are important to increase how much gravy you end up with. And depending on which you pick, you’ll end up with a turkey gravy with a slightly different flavor.

Flour

A mixture of turkey drippings and stock will be delicious. Very flavorful. But it won’t be gravy. Why not? It’s not thick enough. To make a good gravy, you need to add a thickener: flour.

If you’ve ever used flour to thicken, you’ll know that its most annoying feature is its tendency to create big gooey lumps — not appealing at all. But there are ways to avoid it.

• One way is to make a slurry. Just combine 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of cold stock, milk or water in a small jar. Put the lid on and shake it very vigorously. Add the slurry to the gravy, whisk it in until it’s smooth, and bring it to a simmer.
  • You can also mix it in a bowl, but you need to mix it very, very well or it’ll lump.
  • Once you add the slurry, the gravy will need to simmer 10 minutes or so to thicken and to cook the flour enough to get rid of the floury taste.
  • Each tablespoon of flour will thicken one or two cups of gravy.
• You can also make a roux. In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour until the mixture has the texture of a smooth wet sand. Let the roux bubble for a bit, until it loses the smell of raw flour (4 to 5 minutes).
  • You may need to add more butter or more flour to get the texture right.
  • The longer the roux cooks, the darker it’ll get, giving you a darker gravy.
  • Don’t add the roux directly to the gravy — instead, add a bit of gravy to the roux and whisk it until it’s thick and smooth. Then add it back into the gravy. It’ll help prevent lumping.
  • Again, each tablespoon of flour will thicken a cup or two of gravy.

Seasonings

If you like, you can also add some extra seasonings to your gravy. It’s not necessary — turkey gravy just naturally goes well with turkey! But sometimes it’s nice to add a little extra something.

• Herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage go really nicely with turkey gravy.
• You can also add spices like salt and pepper.
• Aromatics like garlic are always good!
• A bit of wine or vinegar can add a little kick to your turkey gravy — they just need to cook in the gravy a bit to boil off the alcohol or break down the acids.

A little bit of advice on seasoning — taste first, season second. Add a bit of seasoning at a time, and then taste again to see if you need more. Remember, it’s much, much easier to add extra seasoning than it is to remove some!

And there you have it. Those are the four ingredients that make up our easy turkey gravy. Now let’s find out how to make it.

How To Make Gravy

Now that we know what goes in a gravy, we can put it all together and find out how to make an easy turkey gravy.

There are a few different ways to to do, depending on whether or not your roasting pan goes on the stovetop, and whether or not you prefer to use a roux or a slurry.

Roasting Pan On The Stovetop Method

If your roasting pan is stovetop safe, and you have room for it (it might take up two burners), then you can use this method to make gravy.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Take the turkey out of the roasting pan and set it aside. Pour the drippings out of the pan into a container, then let them rest.
2. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium low heat.
3. Melt 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter for every cup of drippings you have. Add the same amount of flour as butter, and whisk it until it has the consistency of a smooth, wet sand. Let it cook and bubble for 4 to 5 minutes, until it loses its raw flour smell.
4. Degrease the drippings, then slowly add them to the roasting pan, whisking the mixture constantly to keep it smooth. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
5. For every cup of drippings, add 3 cups of liquids. It can be any combination of stock, water, juice, or wine.
6. Add any seasonings you like, and let the gravy simmer for about 10 minutes.

And now you have a delicious gravy to go with your turkey!

Saucepan Method

If your roasting pan isn’t stovetop safe, there’s no need to worry. You can always make your gravy in a saucepan. In fact, if you’re low on stovetop space, you might even prefer this method no matter what!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Take your turkey out of the roasting pan and set is aside. Scrape up everything you can from the bottom of the pan, pour it out with the drippings into a container and set it aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, melt 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter for every cup of drippings you have. Add the same amount of flour as butter, and mix it until it has the consistency of smooth, wet sand. Let it cook and bubble for 4 or 5 minutes.
3. Remove the layer of grease from the drippings, and then slowly add the drippings to the saucepan, whisking to keep it smooth.
4. For every cup of drippings, add 3 cups of stock or other liquids.
5. Add any seasonings you like.
6. Let the gravy simmer for 10 minutes or so, and then serve.

Again, you’ll end up with a fantastic turkey gravy.

Alternative Methods

If you don’t want to bother making a roux (the butter-flour mix), you can thicken your gravy using a slurry. It just takes a few changes.

1. Instead of melting butter and adding flour, just add all the degreased drippings and liquids directly to your roasting pan or saucepan.
2. Make a slurry, as described above, using 1 tablespoon of flour for every cup of gravy. Whisk it in the liquids.
3. After that, you can add your seasonings and let it simmer until it’s thick, about 10 minutes. If it tastes like raw flour, it just needs to simmer a bit more.

Notes

• It really is important to degrease the drippings. Otherwise, your gravy might turn out super greasy. But leaving a few tablespoons for taste won’t hurt.
• Instead of using butter, you can use the same amount of grease, skimmed off the drippings.
• I recommended using 3 cups of liquid for each cup of drippings, but your drippings might be more or less flavorful. If you have very little, they’ll probably be super tasty, and you can add more liquid. Really, there’s no fixed proportions, and lots of combinations will give awesome results.
• You might not need to use all the drippings to make your gravy. It depends on how much you want to end up with. Don’t make 10 cups of gravy if you’re serving 4 people who only use a bit!
• If you don’t have any drippings from a roast turkey, you can still make an awesome gravy with stock and other tasty liquids. Just follow the same instructions, skipping the deglazing and drippings parts.
• If your turkey gravy is a bit lumpy, you can fix the problem by passing it through a sieve or strainer.

And there you have it! A delicious, easy turkey gravy that’ll have your guests coming back for more!

Enjoy!

Home › Christmas Dinner › Turkey Cooking Time

Figuring out the turkey cooking time is one of the tricky parts about planning a big turkey dinner. After all, you want to be eating at a reasonable time, and ideally the turkey will be completely cooked, but still nice and moist.

But there are a lot of things that affect how long it’ll take for your turkey to cook. In this article, we’ll go over the different factors that affect turkey roasting time. Then, we’ll give you a chart of the different cooking times for turkey.

Here we go!

 

What Affects Turkey Cook Time?

When it comes to cooking turkey, just knowing the turkey’s weight isn’t enough. There are a lot of different things that come into play when you’re trying to determine the cooking time for your turkey.

• The size and weight of the turkey are obviously major factors. The heavier the turkey, the longer it’ll take to cook.
• The oven’s temperature makes a difference, too. And lots of things affect the oven’s temperature: what setting it’s at, how often you open the door, and every oven has its own particular temperature fluctuations.
• The moisture in the turkey affects how long it’ll take to cook. A brined turkey contains more moisture and so it cooks a bit faster.
• A stuffed turkey takes a bit longer to cook than an unstuffed one. The stuffing absorbs some of the heat, and affects how the heat circulates inside the turkey. A stuffed turkey takes about 30 minutes longer to cook than an unstuffed one.
• The turkey’s temperature when you place it in the oven is a factor, too. A turkey nearing room temperature will cook faster. A turkey that’s frozen can take up to 50% longer to cook.
• Using a rack can speed up the cooking time. In fact, anything you do that helps there be more air flow around the turkey will make it cook faster.
• The roasting pan you use affects the cooking time, too. Shiny pans deflect the heat away and can make the turkey roasting time longer than if you use a dark pan.
• How you cook the turkey can make a difference. If you cook the turkey using a lid, it’ll cook faster. Using a tent foil slows down the cooking process and makes it take longer.

So what does all this mean? There are just so many factors that it’s impossible to tell how long it’ll take to cook a turkey. But what you can do is tell when it’s done. How? By using a meat thermometer.

Turkey is considered safe to eat when the white meat reaches 170F and dark meat reaches 180F. Since the turkey’s internal temperature will continue to rise 5-10 degrees after you take it out of the oven, you can tell when it’s time to take the turkey out of the oven when it’s at 165F-170F.

Turkey Cooking Time Chart

Still, if you’re planning a big turkey meal, it’s nice to have an approximate turkey cooking time so that you can plan dinner more easily. So here you go.

Just remember, it’s only an estimate. Keeping an eye on the turkey’s internal temperature is still the best way to get a perfectly cooked and juicy turkey. And it’s always a good idea to check up on the turkey 45 minutes or so before the chart says it’ll be done. You never know, and better safe than dry turkey.

Turkey Cooking Times For 325F

Turkey Weight	Unstuffed	Stuffed
10 to 14 lbs	3h00 to 3h30	3h30 to 4h00
14 to 18 lbs	3h30 to 4h15	4h00 to 4h45
18 to 22 lbs	4h15 to 4h30	4h45 to 5h00
22 to 26 lbs	4h30 to 5h00	5h00 to 5h30

And don’t forget, the turkey needs to rest outside the oven for about 30 minutes before you carve it.

• The rest time allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat, giving you a juicier turkey.
• It also makes the turkey easier to carve.
• You can use this time to make the gravy, cook the potatoes and other side dishes you might have. That way everything’s ready at exactly the same time!

Well, that’s it for turkey cooking times. Remember, these are general guidelines to help you get an approximate time for dinner, but the real test is the meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

Home › Christmas Dinner › How to Make Turkey Brine

And a turkey brine is a big step in the “delicious turkey” direction.

If you’ve never brined anything before, I really recommend it. Until I tried it, I never realized what a difference brining a turkey makes — it makes the turkey juicier and so much more delicious.

Brining a turkey is exactly like brining chicken — it isn’t hard at all. But it does take a little bit more planning because turkey is usually a whole lot bigger than chicken!

In this article, I’ll tell you all about how to brine a turkey. First, I’ll go over what brining is and how it works. Then, I’ll talk about the reasons why you’ll want to brine turkey. Finally, I’ll show you how to brine a turkey, with lots of great tips to make it easier.

 

How Turkey Brine Works

Brining is one of those cooking techniques that seems to have been kind of forgotten. But it’s also one of those things that makes the difference between between a good meal and a great one.

And even though it means a little extra planning, it’s not hard at all, andthe results are so worth it.

So what is it? Well, brining a turkey just means soaking the turkey in a salted water. Of course, you need the right amount of salt, and you need to soak it for the right amount of time, but we’ll go over that in how to brine a turkey.

When you brine turkey, there’s a whole lot going on under the surface. Here’s what happens:

• Diffusion is a process where particles go from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. For turkey brine, it means that the salt is going from the salty water to the turkey. Which means that you get a turkey that’s seasoned the whole way through, not just on the surface.
• Osmosis is another neat process, where water goes from a wetter environment to a drier one. In this case, the water is going from the turkey brine to the turkey. Which means you get a moister turkey!
• Now, the salt doesn’t just add flavor to the turkey. It also reacts with the protein molecules and makes them unravel. And that creates a shield against moisture loss. Again, you get moister turkey.
• The salt is the key. When you add the right amount, it doesn’t make food salty — it enhances the food’s natural flavors!

And that’s how brining a turkey works. Science at its most delicious!

Why Brine A Turkey?

Now that we know a bit more about how turkey brine works, we can talk about why to brine turkey at all.

• The first reason is flavor. The salt alone makes a huge difference. And you can add lots of other ingredients to your turkey brine to get a unique flavor.
• The second reason is moisture. Turkey is a pretty lean meat, and the biggest complaint people have about it is that it can turn out kind of dry. But brining turkey fixes all that!

Notes

• Now, there is a catch. Brining a turkey properly can take some time, and it can be kind of a pain to find space to store it while it’s brining.
  • Normally, that wouldn’t be such a big problem, but we usually make turkey around the holidays, when we’re already really busy.
  • If you follow the tips in the next section and plan ahead, you’ll be able to brine a turkey stress-free. And you’ll be one step closer to the best turkey you’ve ever made.
• Some turkey you can buy are labeled “enhanced”. Usually that means that they’ve already been brined. And you know what? They’re usually thought of as the tastiest turkeys, like Kosher turkeys or Butterballs. But you can get the same results at home, or even better.
  • You should never brine a turkey that’s already been brined. If you do, you’ll end up with a turkey that much too salty. Generally, when people have a bad experience with brining, that’s why!

How To Brine A Turkey

Brining a turkey isn’t hard at all. The only thing that makes it harder than brining chicken is that a turkey is a lot bigger, and that means that it takes more time, and finding room for it isn’t always easy.

The secret is to plan ahead. Just figure out where you’re going to brine the turkey and when, and everything will be a lot smoother. And you’ll be able to make your turkey brine stress-free, and all you’ll have to do is savor the results!

To help you plan ahead, first we’ll go over what you need to brine turkey, and then we’ll talk about how to do it.

What You’ll Need To Brine Turkey

Here’s the equipment and ingredients you’ll need for your turkey brine:

• A container to brine the turkey in. It needs to be big enough so that the turkey and brine can fit inside completely.
  • Generally, you want something not much wider than the turkey. That way you don’t need as much turkey brine.
  • You want to be sure that you pick a non-reactive container – it shouldn’t react to the salt or sugar. Food-grade plastic, stainless steel, enamel or glass are all great. Aluminum and copper are not — the metal can leech into the brine and ruin the taste.
  • The container will have to be kept cold, so it should fit in the fridge.
  • If you don’t have room in the fridge, try a cooler. It’s the best brining container! Be sure to clean it out thoroughly before and after brining, and then stick the turkey and turkey brine right in there.
  • You can get extra large ziploc bags or special brining bags, and use those to line your container. Then you can either zip up the bag and take it out, or just leave the whole thing in the bucket.
• You’ll need some cold water, too. You’ll need enough to completely cover your turkey.
  • You can figure out beforehand how much water you’ll need by placing your turkey in the brining container and then covering it with water. Then, take out the turkey and measure the water.
  • Generally, depending on the size and shape of your container, you’ll need about 1 to 2 quarts (or 1 to 2 liters) of water per 2 pounds of turkey. A snugger fit means you need less brine.
• The main ingredient in a brine is salt.
  • You’ll need about 1/8 of a cup of table salt per quart (or liter) of water.
  • If you’re using a coarser salt, like kosher or a coarse sea salt, you should use 1/4 of a cup of salt per quart (liter) of water – you can’t fit as much coarse salt in a measuring cup because the crystals are bigger.
• You can also use some sugar.
  • You can use about 1/8 of a cup of sugar per quart (liter) or water. Brown or white sugar both work.
  • Sugar helps counteract the salty taste. You’ll still get the enhanced flavor, but it won’t be as salty.
  • Sugar can also help the meat brown more easily. You’ll have to keep an eye out on the turkey to be sure it doesn’t brown too fast.
• You can use any other seasonings you like in a brine.
  • The best way to get the flavor in the brine is to boil the brine and seasonings together — just like tea.
  • Try orange or lemon slices, coriander or fennels seeds, whole peppercorns, fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary, chopped garlic, or bay leaves. Or any other seasonings that you think will go well with turkey!
• You’ll also need a turkey!
  • The turkey should be completely thawed. Unfortunately, you can’t thaw a turkey while brining it, because the brine won’t be able to penetrate the frozen meat.

And that’s what you need. Just be sure that you have anything ready when you’re ready to make your turkey brine, and it’ll be a snap.

How To Brine A Turkey

Now that you know what you need, let’s go over how to make the turkey brine and actually brine the turkey.

1. If you’re using seasonings other than salt, bring 2 quarts (2 liters) of water to a boil. Remove from the heat.
   • It’s very important that the turkey brine be cold to avoid bacteria growth. Heating up just part of the water will leech all the flavor out from the seasonings, but it’ll cool quickly when you mix it with the rest of the water.
2. Add all the seasonings other than the salt and sugar to the hot water. Let them steep 5 to 10 minutes, and then pour it all into your brining container.
3. Pour the rest of the cold water into the brining container.
4. Add the salt and sugar (if any) and stir until all the crystals are dissolved.
5. Make sure the brine is cold. It should be about 40F (4C).
   • You can add some ice packs to the brine or put it in the fridge to cool it down.
   • If you use ice packs, I recommend making your own with ziploc bags or plastic juice jugs filled with water. The commercial kind are supposed to be non-toxic, but even if they are, they’re full of chemicals. If they leak, at best they’ll ruin the taste of your turkey brine.
6. Add the turkey to the brine.
   • The turkey should be completely submerged. If it’s floating, weigh it down with something heavy, like a ziploc bag full of ice — it’ll help keep it cool, too.
   • If you need to add a bit more water, just add a quart (liter) or so at a time. Be sure to add salt to the water before adding it to the brine.
   • If your container is too small to have the turkey completely submerged and you have no alternative, you can always flip the turkey over every few hours, but that’s not ideal.
7. Let the turkey sit in the turkey brine for 1 hour per pound of turkey, up to 24 hours.
   • Be sure to keep the turkey brine cold. If you need, add homemade ice packs to keep it cool. Don’t add ice directly to the brine though, cause that would dilute it.
8. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it thoroughly, and pat it dry with paper towels.
   • The point of brining is to get a bit of salt on the inside. But because the solution is so salty, you end up with a ton of salt on the outside, so it’s important to rinse it off.
9. (Optional) If you like your turkey to get a crispy skin, let it air dry in the refrigerator for an hour or so before cooking it. Brining can leave the outside of the turkey a little too moist to brown, but air drying in the fridge takes care of that.

Notes

• If you’re brining a turkey in the fridge, always store it on the lowest possible shelf. That way, if you happen to spill something, you won’t contaminate all the other food in your fridge.
• Brining affects the turkey drippings and juices — they’ll be saltier. So you don’t really need to season with extra salt before cooking, or add any salt to your gravy. And if you’re stuffing the turkey, you may not want to add too much salt to the stuffing.
• Be very careful to thoroughly wash any surface or container that comes into contact with the raw turkey or the turkey brine when it’s used. Raw turkey contains bacteria that can grow and make you sick if you’re not careful with it.

This method is super versatile, and lets you add lots of seasonings, but personally I prefer the simplest turkey brine of them all — just salt and water. There’s no fuss, no heating, and the turkey comes out wonderful.

But try different things out and see what you like best.

And that’s all you need to know about turkey brine! You’re one step closer to a perfectly moist, delicious turkey.

Home › Cooking Chicken › Trussing ChickenIf you’re like me and you love roast chicken, you may want to learn how to truss chicken. Trussing chicken just means tying it up so that the legs and wings don’t flop all over the place.

Knowing how to truss chicken can be a big help in the kitchen. You can definitely get by without knowing how. But if you know how to truss a chicken, you suddenly have a bunch more cooking techniques available to you.

For example, when I roast a chicken, I like to start it roasting breast side down and then flip it over during the last third of the cooking time – it keeps the breast nice and juicy. But flipping an untrussed chicken can be a bit of a disaster. Legs and wings, they’re just waiting to fall off!

Or a rotisserie chicken… trussing the bird is really important, or the wings and legs will burn before the rest of the chicken is cooked.

In this article, I’ll tell you all about trussing chicken. First, I’ll go over the various reasons why you would want to truss a chicken, as well as situations where you wouldn’t want to! Then, I’ll give a step-by-step instructions for trussing chicken.

 

Why Truss Chicken?

I like learning new cooking techniques. I think it’s a lot of fun. And I like using them when I know it’ll make a difference. But I’m not usually a fan of adding unnecessary steps when I’m cooking.

With practice, trussing a chicken doesn’t take all that long, but it’s still an extra step. So why do you want to do it?

Trussing: The Good

Well, here are a few good reasons to learn to truss chicken:

• Because of the way the legs cover the breast when you truss chicken, the breast meat is protected from drying out and ends up a lot juicier.
• For larger birds, trussing helps the meat cook more evenly, so that everything is ready at the same time. That means the whole chicken is just perfect!
• Trussing the bird means that you don’t have any loose limbs flopping around. So, if you need to move the chicken around or flip it over, you won’t lose a leg or a wing.
• A trussed chicken will keep its shape while cooking and it’ll just look a lot better. But it’s not just looks – it’ll be easier to carve, too!
• If you want to use a rotisserie to cook the chicken, you need to truss it or the chicken will cook unevenly and the legs and wings will burn.

Trussing: The Bad

But, like anything, trussing isn’t perfect. There are a few downsides:

• Trussing chicken causes the legs to cook a bit more slowly. On bigger birds, it’s a good thing, but on a smaller bird it could mean that the breasts will cook faster than the legs and end up dry.
• When you truss chicken, less of the skin is exposed to the oven’s heat, which means that you’ll have a bit less crispy skin. Not a whole lot less, but if that’s your very favorite part, keep that in mind.
• It’s an extra step. With practice, you won’t have any trouble trussing a chicken, but we’re all in a rush sometimes!

Trussing: The Bottom Line

Here’s my advice. If you have the time, go ahead and truss the chicken, unless it’s a very small bird of about 2 or 3 lbs. But there are a few situations where you really don’t need to. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• If presentation isn’t an issue, for example if you’re going to carve the chicken before bringing it to the table, trussing is less of an issue.
• If you’re going to slow cook the chicken, at 200F or 300F, the bird will cook evenly whether you truss it or not.
• Don’t truss chicken for the very first time when you have 10 guests coming over and you only have an hour and a half to prepare and cook the chicken. It takes a bit of getting used to, so it’s best to practice a few times before trying it out when time is short. Remember, one of the keys to loving cooking is to not be stressed out when you do it!

How To Truss Chicken?

Okay! Now that you’ve decided that it’s worth taking the time to learn to truss chicken, you need to know how to do it!

A little tip before we get started: you may want to print out this page or have the instructions in front of you the first few times you do it. It’s pretty easy to forget what to do!

Alright, let’s get started. First, I’ll go over what you need to truss a chicken, and then I’ll show how to do it, step by step.

What You Need

• One piece of kitchen twine, about 3 or 4 times the length of the chicken.
  • Kitchen twine is a string made out of cotton or linen. Since it’ll be in contact with your food, it has to be non-toxic. It also needs to be heat-resistant, which is why certain synthetic materials like polyester just don’t work for kitchen twine.
• One chicken! Any size chicken will do. And remember, trussing is the last thing you do when getting your chicken ready.
  • Trussing hides some of the skin, so get your seasonings on before you truss!
  • You won’t be able to stuff the chicken after you truss it, so be sure to do that first.

And that’s it!

How To Do It

		Step 1 With the breast side up, line up the middle of your piece of twine with the chicken’s tail and tie a knot around the tail. You don’t actually need to knot it, but I find it makes the trussing a bit easier.
		Step 2 Make a loop around each drumstick.
		Step 3 Pull them close together and tie a knot. Again, the knot isn’t necessary but can make the whole trussing process easier, especially at first.
		Step 4 Keeping the twine tight around the chicken, pass each half of the twine through the wing.
		Step 5 Tuck the wings under the chicken so that they’re holding down the twine.
		Step 6 Flip the chicken over so that it’s breast side down. Tie the twine around the neck so that it’s holding down the wings. Make sure the knot is secure, then cut off any excess string.

And now you have a nicely trussed chicken that will cook nice and evenly!

One more thing… there’s more than one way to truss a chicken! I presented this one because it works well for me, but everyone is different, and you should do what works best for you!

If you’d like to try a different technique, there’s a great video of Alton Brown’s show “Good Eats” on the Food Network’s website. He shows how to truss a turkey, which is pretty similar to trussing chicken, although because of the size difference his method won’t work as well on smaller birds.

Enjoy!