Where can I find a good brine and turkey recipe for Thanksgiving?”
Making Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of work, but it is worth it. That — “It is worth it!” — is the mantra cooks should chant to get themselves mentally ready for the big day. There are also some steps the cook and kitchen helpers can take in these final hours to make the meal go smoothly. Here are some pre-meal maneuvers you can undertake now that will help prevent panic Thursday. Sharpen your knives. Carving the bird requires a sharp blade. Moreover, there is a lot massive amount of vegetable chopping that goes into the meal preparations. The area’s professional knife sharpeners say they will be grinding away this week. “I am swamped,” said John Quincy Adams, who runs a sharpening service behind his Hampden home. “Every year around the holidays, people bring their knives in, and we sharpen them while they wait,” said Will Seibel, who, along with brother, Thomas, operates the Grinding of America in Brooklyn. Frank Monaldi Sr. said he “will have my nose to the grindstone” this afterno
Brined and Roasted Turkey Ingredients * 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey * Brine, recipe follows * 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature * 1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths * 1 large orange, cut into 8ths * 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces * 1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces * 2 bay leaves * 2 sprigs thyme * 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting Turkey Broth: * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil * Reserved turkey neck and giblets * 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped * 1 onion, coarsely chopped * 1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped * 1 small bay leaf * 3 cups turkey stock, chicken stock, or canned low-salt chicken broth * 3 cups water Gravy: * 4 cups turkey broth * 1 cup dry white wine * 4 tablespoons unsalted butter * 1/4 cup flour * Salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Soak the turkey in the brine, c
