The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1949-11-24

melted fat. The grease Will noio
the moisture in the turkey, keep
ing it juicy, and aid in uniform
browning. It makes basting un-
necessary. Grease the bird with a
folded cloth dipped in melted fat.
Use a thin, open-textured cloth
that will be suitable for Covering
the bird during roasting.
Place breast-down on a rack
in shallow open pan. Use either
flat rack or V-rack. Raising
the bird on a rack keeps it out OF
the juices and let's heat circulate
freely around it SO it is evenly
cooked. If you use a V-rack, the
turkey can be kept breast down
throughout most of the roasting
If you use a flat rack, turn the
bird during roasting so the other
side of the breast rests on the rack
cooking both sides evenly. In
either case, the bird is usually
turned breast up to finish cook
ing and browning the breast.
Spread a fat moistened cloth
over the top and sides of the bird.
The cloth holds the grease to the
skin. Basting is unnecessary. No
cover is needed.
Roast turkey that weighs from
in an oven set at 325 degrees fab
renheit; a turkey weighing IA to
20 pounds stuffed at 300 degrees.
It will take 3 to ga hours to cook
a stuffed turkey weighing 8 to 10
pounds; 3,s to 4 hours for 10 to
IA pounds; to 4la hours for IA to
Is pounds; and 5 to 6 hours for
20 pounds.
An unstuffed turkey requires
about 5 minutes pound less
roasting time. Stuffing increases
weight from 2 to pounds.
The oven should be preheated
to the proper temperature. Cor
rect roasting is slow cooking by
dry heat: No cover, no soaring,
no water, no basting. If the fat
sputters, indicating the drippings
are burning, the oven is too hot.
Low temperature for roasting re-
duces shrinkage resulting in more
servings of juicier, evenly brown
ed meat.
After one hour cut the leg
trusses. BY this time the heat
will have set the leg joints. Re-
leasing the leg ends from the tail
allows the inside of the leg and
the adjoining breast section to
cook thoroughly.
To insure even cooking and
browning, roast the bird with
the breast up during the last
quarter of cooking time. Cover
the breast and sides with the we'll
creased cloth. If you want the
bird browner, remove the cloth
during the last 20 or 80 minutes
Of roasting.
| About 20 minutes before the
roasting time is up, press the
thickest part of the drurnstick
with the fingers. Be sure to pro-
tect the fingers with cloth or pa
per. When the meat feels quite
soft, the turkey is done. If the
leg Joint breaks or moves readily
with the movement of the drum
stick up and down, the turkey is
done. Do not prick the meat with
fork. 1t is not reliable test and
juices escape from the meat. a
Time the roasting so the bird
is done and out of the over Is to
20 minutes before serving time.
This gives time to remove cords
and skewers and to make gravy.
Meanwhile, the turkey looses its
extreme heat, absorbes juices and
becomes easier to carve.
Place breast up on warm plat
ter. Use paper towels to lift the
hot turkey from pan to platter
Hold it with one hand under the
wing and breast, the other hand
under the body beneath the OPP
posite leg. Keep the turkey in a
warm place until it is ready to
serve. Pour the drippings into a
bowl an save them for making
| oravv