Here you will find all the tips and tricks you need for roasting a tasty turkey. I promise it’s not the daunting task you may think it is.
Yes, you are asking yourself, “How do I cook this thing?” as you look at the whole turkey. If this is your first turkey, let’s take the mystery out of the turkey roasting process for you. You don’t want any more stress before Thanksgiving dinner!.
Using a Roasting Rack for the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s time to start planning for the star of your holiday meal – the turkey! A beautifully roasted turkey is the centerpiece of any Thanksgiving spread. However, roasting a turkey can be tricky Using a roasting rack is one of the simplest ways to help ensure turkey success In this article, we’ll look at why using a rack makes a big difference and how to use one properly.
What Does a Roasting Rack Do?
A roasting rack is a rack that fits inside a roasting pan, elevating the turkey off the bottom of the pan. It serves a few key purposes:
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Allows air circulation – With the turkey lifted up, hot air can circulate completely underneath and around the turkey for even cooking.
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Avoids soggy skin – Keeping the turkey out of the fat and juices prevents the skin from getting soggy.
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Easy access to drippings – The juices collect in the pan below for easy use in gravy, while the turkey stays dry on the rack.
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Facilitates basting – Elevating the turkey makes it easy to spoon and brush pan juices over top to moisturize and brown the skin.
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Improves browning – More hot air contact means better browning and crisping of the skin.
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Carry over cooking – Air can flow under the rack to allow carry over cooking once removed from the oven.
These benefits all lead to much better results – moist, flavorful meat and deliciously crispy, golden skin.
Should You Use a Roasting Rack?
For the reasons above, absolutely yes – a roasting rack is recommended for cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. While you can roast a turkey directly in a pan, it is very difficult to achieve ideal doneness and crispy skin without a rack. The rack enables air flow for even cooking.
If you don’t have a rack, you can improvise one with balls of aluminum foil or crumpled foil. But having a proper sturdy roasting rack designed for the task makes the process much easier and effective.
What Kind of Roasting Rack to Use
You want a rack that fits your roasting pan with a little room around the edges. Common types are:
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U-shaped racks that cradle the turkey – These classic open racks allow easy access all around the turkey for basting.
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Circular flat racks – These full circular racks maximize air flow underneath.
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Folding racks – Racks that fan open to cradle and lift the turkey.
Choose chrome-plated, stainless steel or enameled steel for durability. Nonstick coating can help prevent sticking. Avoid racks with thin, flimsy wires that could bend under the turkey’s weight.
Allow at least 2 inches of clearance between the turkey and pan sides for air flow. It’s fine if the breast sits above the pan rim.
How to Use a Roasting Rack
Using a rack is simple:
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Place rack in bottom of pan. Add any aromatics like onions or herbs.
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Pat turkey dry. Truss turkey if desired for compact shape. Rub oil and seasonings all over.
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Place turkey breast-side up on rack. Tuck wings under.
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Roast according to recipe, basting and tenting foil as needed. Turkey is done when breasts reach 165°F.
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Let turkey rest on rack 20+ minutes before carving for juicy meat.
The rack does all the work! Just be sure to place the turkey directly on the rack, not the pan bottom.
Get the Perfect Turkey with a Roasting Rack
A quality roasting rack is an invaluable tool for cooking the quintessential Thanksgiving turkey. Elevating the turkey enables air circulation for ideal crisp skin, prevents soggy skin from fat contact, contains messy drippings for gravy, and improves even cooking. While improvising a rack is possible in a pinch, a purpose-made rack takes the guesswork out. For Thanksgiving turkey success, a roasting rack is highly recommended!
Ingredients Needed to Make this Roast Turkey
Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below
- Turkey: You can use fresh or frozen turkey in this recipe.
- Olive oil
- Seasoning for chicken: This is a mix of sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, nutmeg, and onion powder. It is readily available at most grocery stores.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Kitchen twine is used to tie the turkey legs together so they cook more evenly.
Convection versus Conventional Oven
A convection oven has a fan and exhaust system that circulates hot air within the oven itself. This is helpful if you cook on more than one rack at a time because it keeps the oven from having hot and cold spots, which makes the cooking more even.
Since most conventional ovens have their heating elements on the bottom, foods on the bottom rack cook faster than those on the top rack.
For this reason, you don’t need to heat a convection oven as high as you would any other oven. When I use a convection oven, I like to cook turkey at 325 degrees. When I use a regular oven, I like to cook turkey at 350 degrees.
It doesn’t matter what kind of oven you use as long as the turkey is the only thing in there while it roasts. For this turkey recipe, I used a conventional oven. For my Rosemary Orange Roast Turkey recipe, I used a convection oven. Both turned out fantastic!.
For people who have never cooked a turkey before, I get a lot of questions about how long to cook it. What if your turkey isn’t 10 to 12 pounds like the one in this recipe? That can also be hard to understand.
A good rule of thumb for a cook time is around 15 minutes per pound. This might be a little different if your turkey is very small or very big, but for the most part, it works well.
How do you know when the turkey is done? First of all, a meat thermometer is a must.
An old-school meat thermometer that has a dial works well. It just takes some time to register the temperature.
These days, you can find an instant-read thermometer that takes just a second or two to measure. The instant-read thermometer is all I use anymore.
When 165 degrees are read in the thickest part of the breast and 175 degrees are read in the thickest part of the thigh, your turkey is done. Some people will take the turkey out about 5 degrees below these temperatures.
For some reason, they think the bird will be more juicy in the end because it will cook about 5 degrees more while it rests. I would start with the temperatures I suggested, but as you get better at roasting turkey, you can try different things to see what works best for you.
Still not the perfect turkey after taking it out of the oven! You need to let the juices settle back into the turkey to make sure the meat stays moist.
I typically tent with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. I’ve let it sit longer while I finish all the side dishes, and it still turns out juicy and flavorful.
Once the time has passed, you are ready to slice your turkey. There are lots of great videos on YouTube that show you both simple and fancy ways to carve and serve your fresh turkey.
And now it’s time to dig into the fruits of your labor!
How To Make a Roasting Rack For Your Holiday Turkey | Mad Genius Tips | Food & Wine
FAQ
Should you roast a turkey on a rack?
Do I really need a roasting rack?
Is it better to roast on a rack?
What do you put in the bottom of a turkey roasting pan?
Do you need a roasting rack to cook a Turkey?
However, you can also try using a Dutch oven, skillet, or baking dish. You don’t need a roasting rack, but it helps to keep your turkey raised. It might come out a little stewed otherwise. You can use a wire cooling rack if you have one.
What is the best roasting rack for Turkey?
For the best roasting rack for turkey, you’ll want something with a nonstick coating to ensure your Thanksgiving turkey comes out without sticking to the rack. Good heat distribution is also key; a rack with an aluminum core will help distribute the heat evenly, crucial for both a golden brown turkey and for roasting vegetables alongside your bird.
Do you need a roasting rack?
According to My Recipes, you need one essential thing: a roasting rack. There are several reasons why using a roasting rack along with your roasting pan will take your turkey from sad panda face to huzzah. The main reason is that a rack literally lifts the turkey off the bottom of the pan.
Why do you put a rack on a Turkey?
The main reason is that a rack literally lifts the turkey off the bottom of the pan. This ensures that hot air circulates around the bird as it’s roasting, producing a more even cook by allowing heat to reach every surface of the skin.
Should a Turkey rack be centered in the oven?
Normally, when you’re cooking something in a flat dish like green bean casserole, if you center the rack within the oven, the dish will be in the center as well. Since a turkey is much taller than a casserole dish, in order for the bird to be the center of attention, the rack may need to be moved to the bottom.
Can you flip a Turkey on a roast rack?
Unlike most meats, you can’t easily just flip a turkey, so the roast rack helps to avoid a partially-soggy turkey and instead will ideally give you a crispy outside, and a moist and delicious bird on the inside – just be careful of the cooking time, as too much time in your oven will get you a crisp, but dry turkey!