52202 Mon Nov 18 18:18:22 -0800 2002 11 2 Los Angeles Area 0 266193 Okay, I haven't cooked a turkey in several years, & I am noting the brine/ kosher/ deep fry trends. However, for many years I used the method of my college roomate's mom: Stuff the bird as you like, season & oil the exterior as you like, place in a dye-free brown paper bag, breast side up, fold the edge under the turkey, put it all inside a roasting pan, and roast as long as needed for weight of bird. I always got the best quality bird available & had good results. No basting, & juices are still available for gravy... just take care in taking off the bag. Anybody ever heard of this? Just curious, I'll probably brine as I am cooking this year. Mon Nov 18 18:18:22 -0800 2002 0 Babette 1 266195 Out of curosity, outside of not using non kosher food (i.e. shell fish, pork, certain cuts of beef, etc.)and not using dairy products, what is the kosher trend for cooking a turkey? With meat, in order to be kosher, it has to be killed and butchered in a certain manner. Mon Nov 18 18:27:28 -0800 2002 266193 0 Eric 2 266199 No idea, its the actual slaughtering method and the prep--involves salt. As for how to cook? veggie stuffing? you can also use turkey or beef sausage. I have a chef friend who stuffs them with white castles. Mon Nov 18 18:34:25 -0800 2002 266195 0 ecco 3 266248 The laws of Kashruth involve first of all a higher standard of health in the animal than the basic USDA standards. The birds have to be free from all visible blemishes and in good health to be selected. Then there's the slaughtering technique, which without going into the gory details, is basically instant kill. If not, the bird is rejected. There's something to be said for the tenderness of the flesh when an animal isn't stunned or clubbed first and then eventually killed, above and beyond the obvious humane issues. Finally, the meat is salted so as to drain away all excess blood. I think this is a 6-8 hour process. This certainly affects the texture and cooking results, but IMO, it's the high quality standards and the careful, humane slaughtering that make the biggest difference in kosher poultry. My mother found some kosher poussins from Canada that were out of this world. Tue Nov 19 04:29:32 -0800 2002 266199 0 Jessica 2 266201 I believe the poster was referring to the fact that many non Jews, and Jews who don't adhere to kashrut have discovered that Kosher poultry simply tastes better, hence the trend among foodies to seek it out. Mon Nov 18 18:36:08 -0800 2002 266195 0 Slow Foodie 2 266217 Kosher turkeys are popular because the kosher butchering process in effect brines them (salt bath), so you can get the effects of brining (moisture, seasoning throughout) without doing it. Mon Nov 18 20:44:31 -0800 2002 266195 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 266196 If you want to avoid brining, use a kosher turkey. The way they are prepared achieves the same result w/o the bring hassle and time Mon Nov 18 18:31:31 -0800 2002 266193 0 ecco 1 266197 Forty-two years ago this Thanksgiving I roasted my first turkey in a paper bag! It was all the rage in 1960. I combined that method with a recipe for a paprika rubbed turkey that I got from the Philadelphia Inquirer. I can still see that very reddish brown bird, as I took the bag off of it! Quite a sight, I can tell you. It tasted really good to us though. I even remembered to remove the giblets from the cavity before roasting. Mon Nov 18 18:32:20 -0800 2002 266193 0 Pat Hammond 1 266207 My wife and I still do this and we were married in the 70's - so it wasn't only the 60's. I still consider this a good method. If we have to cook a turkey at our house this year, we will brine it (we do this with chicken now and it works!), and still use the paper bag method. I suggest you keep using the bag! Mon Nov 18 18:52:58 -0800 2002 266193 0 Ray 1 266218 I don't know if this is actually true, but I certainly recall reading a number of years back that brown bags, thanks to recycling, contain a number of unpleasant chemicals that did not exist in the '60s. If you want to use a bag, buy one made for the job. I think Reynolds used to sell them. Don't know if they still do. Also, from what I have read, I don't think Kosher birds = brined birds. I think the salt process is too brief to be effective for that purpose. Mon Nov 18 20:50:17 -0800 2002 266193 0 Bob Brooks 1 266237 I wondered when this would come up. I grew in K.C. and for 40 years have roasted numerous turkeys in this manner - all good. (People in MI don't believe this works so have quit talking about it to them.) Hardest part is not to open the bag and peek to see how it is doing. We always tied up the bag with string. One thing - you can't use too big of a turkey or the bird won't fit - never used paprika but lots of butter or margarine rubbed on it and maybe a little seasoned salt. You put it on a broiler pan on the rack. Watch the juices when you open the bag. Man, I'm getting turkey hungry - about ready to the store and ask for paper instead of plastic. Give it a try. D. Mon Nov 18 23:42:22 -0800 2002 266193 0 Donna - MI 1 266261 Where do they sell kosher turkeys? Any place in or around Pasadena? Tue Nov 19 12:00:53 -0800 2002 266193 0 Neta