# Thanksgiving help needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2017, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857 "2017-11-17T08:21:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/41 "2017-11-23T14:11:57Z")
You might need to loosely cover the bird with foil (as in a tent over the food, not touching it) for the first part of the cooking time to keep the bacon from getting cooked too quickly, and then uncover for the last half hour or so. I do this with roast chicken sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/42 "2017-11-23T14:13:36Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You might need to loosely cover the bird with foil (as in a tent over the food, not touching it) for the first part of the cooking time to keep the bacon from getting cooked too quickly, and then uncover for the last half hour or so. I do this with roast chicken sometimes. I’ll keep it in mind for the future. Can’t do it now - no bacon. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/43 "2017-11-23T14:18:35Z")
Life can be so cruel. Although you might consider the foil tent anyway as it may reduce the drying issue (I’ve not cooked the sort of thing you have so I can’t speak from experience). And at least put some butter blobs on the bird before cooking (again - extra fat). I’m not optimistic about your chances of usable gravy though regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/44 "2017-11-23T15:02:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Life can be so cruel. > > Although you might consider the foil tent anyway as it may reduce the drying issue (I’ve not cooked the sort of thing you have so I can’t speak from experience). And at least put some butter blobs on the bird before cooking (again - extra fat). I’m not optimistic about your chances of usable gravy though regardless. Butter, I have. A foil tent or oven roast bag will probably come into play. I dont’ think I want to expose it for the whole of the cooking time. I put the chicken legs in a crock pot with chicken broth. Gonna cook 'em down until it’s time for gravy. Might squeeze some flavor out of the skin and bones. As for the gravy, well, we have low standards. I eat gluten-free. (insert sobbing smiley here) ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/45 "2017-11-23T16:12:49Z")
Here’s [another recipe](http://bargainbriana.com/seasoned-roast-turkey-breast-boneless-recipe/) that has a picture that actually looks a bit better than the first. It doesn’t look dry and it’s actually sitting in juice. Hope it goes well. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/46 "2017-11-23T22:19:14Z")
I know it’s too late for this year, but I wanted to suggest wild rice stuffing for your future. My favorite stuffing (I put it in a goose) is wild rice with cranberries and savories veggies. (I use onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley My guess is it would be okay without the onion.) And gravy works fine with other starches. Corn starch makes a more translucent gravy, but the flavor is okay. I’m sure other flours/starches work, too. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/47 "2017-11-24T03:03:38Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Here’s [another recipe](http://bargainbriana.com/seasoned-roast-turkey-breast-boneless-recipe/) that has a picture that actually looks a bit better than the first. It doesn’t look dry and it’s actually sitting in juice. Hope it goes well. Thanks. Mine turned out OK. Not good, but not too dry, and not an out-and-out disappointment. Probably about 1/3 dark meat, which I didn’t mind but seems a lot for something labeled ‘breast roast’. Gravy was OK. Even with the chicken drumsticks there wasn’t enough flavor, and what there was, was more chicken. Would have preferred a small turkey, or even the drumsticks. Mom gave most of her turkey to the dog (I didn’t see it happen, I beg her not to do that, she says she won’t, then she does). Glad I could make turkey for a dog. I’ll take her out front to hunt up a cat turd for a tasty dessert. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I know it’s too late for this year, but I wanted to suggest wild rice stuffing for your future. My favorite stuffing (I put it in a goose) is wild rice with cranberries and savories veggies. (I use onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley My guess is it would be okay without the onion.) > > And gravy works fine with other starches. Corn starch makes a more translucent gravy, but the flavor is okay. I’m sure other flours/starches work, too. I have an interest in the rice stuffing. It won’t be the same, but maybe it will be good, too. I miss onions. And gluten. Delicious, delicious gluten. Gravy wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the corn starch. I know my way around a corn-starch gravy by now. I have some different rice flours, but the corn starch works fine. Thanks for the stuffing idea, I’ll think of it the next time I cook a turkey. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/48 "2017-11-24T19:35:27Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > …I have an interest in the rice stuffing. It won’t be the same, but maybe it will be good, too. I miss onions. And gluten. Delicious, delicious gluten. Gravy wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the corn starch. I know my way around a corn-starch gravy by now. I have some different rice flours, but the corn starch works fine. Thanks for the stuffing idea, I’ll think of it the next time I cook a turkey. It will be completely different. It doesn’t even have sage, which is the primary spice in traditional bread stuffing. But I think it’s delicious. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857/49 "2017-11-25T14:16:58Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Never had Schar gluten-free bread. Better than Udi’s, then? Udi’s is kind of sad, spongy, tough and dry. Tastes better if you toast it. Yes, Schar is better than Udi’s to me. It’s still a little dry, though I will use it for sandwiches at times, but it works well for bread pudding. It’s in the gf aisle in the supermarkets around here. Yellow packaging. It’s vacuum sealed rather than being frozen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-help-needed/801857.md?page=2)