Deep fry the sucker! Works every time.
This Thanksgiving I was invited to a friend’s house. Last Thanksgiving, I made “turkey-for-one”, a.k.a. Cornish Game Hen. Yeah, I know it isn’t really a turkey, but it sure wasn’t chicken, and it was kind of fun to pull that tiny bird out of the oven and serve it on a plate with cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy made from the drippings.
~~Baloo
My brother made a turkey the brine/upside down way for the second time this year and everyone loved it. His method is to soak the bird in brine for 24 hours (IN the refrigerator), cook it at 500 degrees for 1 hour breast side down (on a foil-lined rack), then at 300 degrees for 2 more hours. He then flips the bird over (turkey lifters really help here), removes the foil, and cooks it breast-side-up at 500 degrees for another hour. He cooks stuffing in the bird because everyone likes it so much better that way. His technique is to preheat the stuffing in the microwave. That way it doesn’t get to the temperature where bacteria grows and it doesn’t slow the cooking of the bird.
Me, I’m a vegetarian, so I had vegetarian stuffing and mashed potatoes with vegetarian gravy, along with other fixings. In other words, this is all hearsay.
I did consider making a stuffed game hen, but I never actually considered the entire visual until you posted that. Did you use the good china? Silver service? Linen? Candles? LOL
Nah. I used the only dishes in the house, the cheapest “silverware” money can buy (also the only stuff at hand), paper napkins, etc. I did have candles, but they were in the living room. Come to think of it, I remember eating it in the living room, so I might’ve had candles for ambiance anyway. Don’t recall lighting 'em though.
As far as stuffing the little bird, I’ve never stuffed any bird. I’d never cooked a game hen before, and my mom always made the “stuffing” outside the bird. I didn’t want to add any uncertainty to the process, and stuffing the bird would’a done it. It lengthens the amount of time it’s gotta cook if you put it in cold, and It’s just as easy (or easier) to make it on the stovetop.
~~Baloo
But it taste so much better if it’s cooked in the bird! My dad always liked stuffing, so I’d make a lot of it. Half would go into the bird and I’d cook the other half in a casserole dish. The former was much moister and tastier than the latter, having soaked up a lot of the grease… er, “juices” during the roasting process.
Last year was the first time I ever made turkey, (I am 46 now) and I used the Reynolds bags also, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both times they turned out beautifully. I used it again this year also, but made the mistake of using one of those disposable aluminum pans and tried to slide it onto the cookie sheet after it was cooked. The bag hung over the side and broke open and spilled juice all over the oven (but the turkey was still perfect).
So if you don’t have a roaster big enough to put the turkey in, and use one of those aluminum things, be sure to put the cookie sheet under it right away. I learned from my experience.
I’ve cooked very large turkeys in roasting bags, and used the disposable roasting pan. You need to be careful not to let the bag touch the oven, as it will melt. Before removing the turkey from the oven, make sure the bag is contained within the pan. At least get the juice into the part of the bag that is within the pan.
Yup, I’ll bet that’s what happened. But next time I’ll just go back to my other roasting pan. We got the disposable because the turkey looked pretty big, but I think it would have fit okay.
Thanks, Johnny L.A.
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