Tips for Moist Turkey & Debunking Kitchen Myths

Do you know you don't have to throw away asparagus ends but can reclaim them by cutting them in rounds? Do you know that putting ice on a burn can cause additional skin damage?

See if you can answer these questions:

• What is the best method of cooking vegetables to retain the most nutrients?
• Which is better, a wooden cutting board or a plastic one?
• Which is better, an electric stovetop or gas?
• Which kind of salt tastes best (sea salt, rock salt, kosher salt)?
• Should I add lemon while cooking or after?
• How can I keep my turkey from becoming dry?

 In Harold McGee's Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes you will learn answers to the above questions and much more:

Microwave ovens do a better job of retaining nutrients than boiling or steaming, as the vegetables cook quickly and the nutrients are less likely to leech out. Also check out Leah Ingram's article "8 Suggestions for Safe Microwave Cooking." 

Wooden cutting boards are good for cutting meats, as they are porous and tend to carry the juices' bacteria away from the board's surface. Wooden boards also often contain a natural anti-bacterial compound. Plastic cutting boards are easier to clean and you can clean them in the dishwasher. However, when plastic cutting boards develop rough surfaces, they can harbor bacteria and it's time to get new ones.

Unlike with electric stove burners, the heat from gas burners disperses into the room. So electric burners are more efficient and, for example, bring water to a boil more quickly.

McGee describes what makes a given salt different from others, but he writes, "All salt without added flavor tastes about the same, especially in food." Different salts have different densities, so measuring for recipes can be a challenge. (If you read Mark Bitterman's book Salted, you will gain another perspective on salt. His shops in Portland and New York City sell well over 100 salt products, some costing more than the filet mignon you might sprinkle them on.)

Lemon and other citrus juices are "best squeezed fresh and added to a dish just before serving." 

Some of McGee's tips to help your turkey come out moist (also see my recent article, "Make Moist, Mouthwatering Turkey and a Simple Stuffing Recipe"): 

"Don't stuff the body cavity or rely on a pop-up thermometer."

"Start the bird breast down to slow its cooking. Turn it and cook breast up just long enough to brown the breast skin."

"Don't truss the legs."

One of the many things that appeal to me about Harold McGee's Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes is how the author acknowledges that with all the recipes out there, some contradicting others, we need to improvise and adapt when we cook. 

In the book's introduction, McGee explains that his book, Keys to Good Cooking, is  "a guide to the kitchen, gadgets, ingredients, and techniques with which you turn recipes into foods. . . . It will help you evaluate recipes, recognize likely flaws or problems, and make adjustments and corrections as you go. . . . it will help you put aside recipes, improvise and experiment, and come up with your own ways of doing things."

What are some common cooking myths that you know about? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. 

I'm a worrywart and this book has given me confidence, especially with all the improvising I do when cooking.

Click my name above or articles listed below to see other articles, including several with recipes.

*CRISP, GOLDEN POTATO PANCAKE & LATKE RECIPE & HANUKKAH IN FRANCE

*MAKE MOIST, MOUTHWATERING TURKEY & A SIMPLE STUFFING RECIPE

*FUN, EASY, HEALTHFUL ENTERTAINING . . . WHEN GUESTS ARRIVE, PREPARATION BEGINS

*USE THIS PRE-PARTY CHECKLIST TO BE MORE ORGANIZED AND LESS STRESSED

*CREATE THIS FABULOUS FAMILY COOKBOOK & ENJOY THESE SIMPLE RECIPES

*A QUICK, EASY, DELICIOUS, ONE-DISH, LOW-CAL MEAL WITH COUNTLESS VARIATIONS

*YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO MAKE GREAT CHICKEN SOUP