Any advice appreciated!!

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Happy Turkey Day where appropriated!!

My question?? Can a turkey cook twice as fast in a convection oven then in a “normal” oven?? I have a new stove and decided to put the turkey in on the roast setting at 325 F. this year. The temperature of the thigh and breast meat are at the 170 F. mark already!! I have never had this happen!! Company isn’t to be here for another 2 1/2 hours!!

It is lightly stuffed with a bread dressing and the temperature of it is just 130 F. so I suppose take the turkey out, remove the dressing and finishing heating it? Grrrrr
Help!!

For anyone who says that nothing can go wrong with a turkey, well I am here to tell you – it can!!

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If you mean by ‘convection oven’, what we here in Britain call a fan assisted oven, you bet that turkey will be done way before you need it to be. I over-cooked several things before I got used to the shorter cooking times. I wouldn’t hazard to give you advice on what you should do now. Poultry is a scary thing, visions of food poisoning! BUT…… If it was me, I would cover the turkey with bacon to keep it moist and cover the lot with foil, let it finish cooking and accept that it will be ready early. (Most likely the bacon won’t be crispy, you can grill it afterwards and let the guests fight over it.)

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Hetty,

Indeed this is a fan oven and is faster cooking than I ever expected! I really appreciate your suggestion about the bacon. I plan on using that idea the next time around!

We went the next step already since this bird is completely done. We have it sliced and keeping it at the proper temperature for hot foods until it is time to eat. I am just amazed with the way this oven works!! I am going to have to do a lot more “practice” to get the cooking methods and times down better before I try this again next Thanksgiving!!

Hope your day is a grand one! We woke up to snow this morning!

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Out of curiosity, do things taste the same when cooked in the convection oven, or is there a different texture or flavor to them? How long does it take to cook, say, a frozen pizza that would normally take 20 minutes in a regular oven?

– Brett

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Hi Brett!

So far everything I have put into the oven comes out tasting even better to me! I know my cookies bake more evenly in there although on the bake cycle, they take just about the same time as a regular oven. It is when I set it to “roast” that it seemed to speed up! I was amazed and then I panicked. Here I was with a turkey that was ready to eat and our meal time wasn’t for another two hours! Fortunately, with the suggestion of the bacon strips,( Hetty) and turning the heat down, we were able to still serve moist turkey to the family.

I haven’t tried a frozen pizza in there. I will have to give it a go and let you know how it turns out! I do know this – I like cooking, baking and roasting with my gas range a whole lot better then I ever did with an electric range! I will never go back to electric, if I can help it!

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I’ve never had to bake a turkey yet, but I’ll have to keep the bacon trick in mind in case I ever do – that’s a handy tip to know! I’m glad your Thanksgiving feast wasn’t ruined…too dry turkey can make it tough to enjoy the rest of the meal – especially for the cook.

Yes, please, if you ever get around to making the frozen pizza, let me know how it turned out. As you can tell, I don’t use my oven for too great a variety of foods, but shaving a couple of hours off of the cook time of a turkey is a pretty impressive feat.

Thanks again,

Brett

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I’ve never had to bake a turkey yet, but I’ll have to keep the bacon trick in mind in case I ever do – that’s a handy tip to know! I’m glad your Thanksgiving feast wasn’t ruined…too dry turkey can make it tough to enjoy the rest of the meal – especially for the cook.

Yes, please, if you ever get around to making the frozen pizza, let me know how it turned out. As you can tell, I don’t use my oven for too great a variety of foods, but shaving a couple of hours off of the cook time of a turkey is a pretty impressive feat.

Thanks again,

Brett

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Hi Brett!

So far everything I have put into the oven comes out tasting even better to me! I know my cookies bake more evenly in there although on the bake cycle, they take just about the same time as a regular oven. It is when I set it to “roast” that it seemed to speed up! I was amazed and then I panicked. Here I was with a turkey that was ready to eat and our meal time wasn’t for another two hours! Fortunately, with the suggestion of the bacon strips,( Hetty) and turning the heat down, we were able to still serve moist turkey to the family.

I haven’t tried a frozen pizza in there. I will have to give it a go and let you know how it turns out! I do know this – I like cooking, baking and roasting with my gas range a whole lot better then I ever did with an electric range! I will never go back to electric, if I can help it!

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Out of curiosity, do things taste the same when cooked in the convection oven, or is there a different texture or flavor to them? How long does it take to cook, say, a frozen pizza that would normally take 20 minutes in a regular oven?

– Brett

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Hetty,

Indeed this is a fan oven and is faster cooking than I ever expected! I really appreciate your suggestion about the bacon. I plan on using that idea the next time around!

We went the next step already since this bird is completely done. We have it sliced and keeping it at the proper temperature for hot foods until it is time to eat. I am just amazed with the way this oven works!! I am going to have to do a lot more “practice” to get the cooking methods and times down better before I try this again next Thanksgiving!!

Hope your day is a grand one! We woke up to snow this morning!

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If you mean by ‘convection oven’, what we here in Britain call a fan assisted oven, you bet that turkey will be done way before you need it to be. I over-cooked several things before I got used to the shorter cooking times. I wouldn’t hazard to give you advice on what you should do now. Poultry is a scary thing, visions of food poisoning! BUT…… If it was me, I would cover the turkey with bacon to keep it moist and cover the lot with foil, let it finish cooking and accept that it will be ready early. (Most likely the bacon won’t be crispy, you can grill it afterwards and let the guests fight over it.)

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Hiya Skitter !!

I’m gettin’ in on this one kinda late, but I was away on Thanksgiving and missed your original posting. We remodeled our kitchen about 10 years ago and because my wife and I both enjoy cooking we made it a “cooks” kitchen when we got to the appliances. We seperated the cooktop from the ovens for a couple reasons. One, to allow for a double wall oven and the other, so we could have electric ovens (more even heating) and a gas cooktop (better control over the burner temp). The convection ovens are amazing !!! They do so many things with and to food to make it better. I know that sounds strange, that an oven can improve food, but it’s really true (as you seem to have discovered). For me to extol all the virtues here would take up too much room. So, I Googled up the info for you to peruse at your leisure. Look here first and then check out these other two.

PS – Just a little safety tip (although you don’t sound like you need any help in the kitchen); It’s safer and the turkey cooks faster (just what you want, right ???) if you cook the stuffing or dressing outside the bird. I’ve been using this method for about 5 years now and most people can’t tell the difference. Recipes abound on the net, but basically you simply add some chicken broth to the dressing before cooking and cover the dish, uncovering for the last 15 minutes or so if you like it slightly browned.

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A variation on the theme, Doc – is to not put it into the cavity, but to insert it between the skin from one (or both) end- Mrs Bowlie does this with her (aka Deila Smith’s) ‘sausage meat’ stuffing – also works to keep the bird tender (she uses bacon over top as well).

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I’ve heard of that method, but always felt you wouldn’t get enough stuffing. The stuffing from the cavity was never enough to serve all the guests and we always had another pan of stuffing on the side, so when the safety issue came up with food poisoning from undercooked stuffing, we just stopped stuffing the bird altogether. I can see where the stuffing under the skin would help to keep the meat moist and tender. Just might give it a try next time.

I’m curious about the bacon though. I use bacon over meatloaf and pork roasts to keep the meat moist and add a bit of flavor to the dish, but I wonder about the bacon flavoring the turkey. I suppose that if Mrs. Bowlie’s stuffing has sausage in it and you’re stuffing under the skin, that some of that flavor is imparted to the turkey and the bacon flavor just sort of blends into the melange of flavors. I’ll have to give that a try too. BTW – Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Switzerland or do you just like turkey ??? It seems the only time we serve turkey on this side of the pond is Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the supermarkets literally give them away when you spend a certain amout there in the weeks leading up to the holidays. The rest of the year, it’s still sold in the stores, but it’s not widely served and you really only see it as a deli item for sandwiches.

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I usually stay out of the Kitchen when events such as turkey stuffing are in progress. Discovered some time ago that while ‘many hands make small work’ ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’.

The Sausage meat stuffing is from this Delia Smith cook book which has lots and lots of traditional (British) Christmas season recipes etc. It also has a handy schedule for the last 48 hours or so – when to do this, when to do that, when to have a glass of bubbly etc. I’m amazed how much stuffing she actually gets under the skin – but obviously not as much as you would get in the cavity. Her turkeys don’t pick up too much of the bacon taste – unless you eat some of the skin, and the sausage flavour isn’t that strong. Perhaps some of the other loungers have some tips or have other recipes.

No, we don’t ‘celebrate’ Thanksgiving – its a uniquely American (and Canadian) thing, however Turkey (Dinde in French) is quite common at Christmas time. Since there are a lot of Americans in and around Geneva (working with the UN and its organisations, NGOs, US Missions etc) we begin to see frozen turkeys here around mid-Novermber, but a Swiss Hausfrau would never be caught using a frozen bird. I was born in and spent the first 3/5ths of my life there. Mrs Bowlie is from the , and we met here in a ski club. Shes been here for over 25 years now – me, not quite so long.

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we begin to see frozen turkeys here around mid-Novermber

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I didn’t realize it got that cold there that early in the year !!

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I was born in BC and spent the first 3/5ths of my life there.

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I had a feeling that you were an expat. Thought perhaps an American. What part of BC are you from ?? In my previous life as a business person, I spent some time in BC traveling from Vancouver to Smithers. Beautiful place and friendly people. Also spent a month in Geneve on two different occasions. Unfortunately I was there on business, so I couldn’t really enjoy all the city and countryside had to offer. But the international feel and cosmopolitan nature of the city make it a place that I hope to get back to one day. The little town you’ve chosen as your home sounds quite lovely. The high school in our town has more students in the Senior Class than you have in your entire village !!!

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I was born in Kelowna, but we moved to Richmond (where Vancouver Airport is). Seen a lot of the Province – but never been to Smithers. My brother lives in Terrace, which isn’t too far from there.

Yes Arnex is small, no school, no church (but a graveyard), no shops, just 11 dozen or so people. There are twice as many cows! But we are 5 minutes from Nyon, a sizable town and 30 from Geneva. Contrary to popular belief they don’t roll up the sidewalks in Geneva at 11 PM (they do it at 10) and is indeed very cosmopolitan. In our crowd there are at least 15 different nationalities (including Swiss) and a half dozen different faiths. Makes for lots of celebrations

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Arnex may be small, but it has a web presence !! And, they may roll up the sidewalks at 10 PM in Geneva, but I have at least one “bad habit” that I picked up there and still have to this day. I was introduced to my alcoholic beverage of choice there. Hennessey Paradis Extra. A small, well aged slice of heaven in a bottle. A blend of some of the oldest cognac in the world.

It’s been over 20 years since I was in BC, and I’m sure much has changed. But, how would one get to Terrace without going through Smithers ?? Or haven’t you had the opportunity to visit your brother since he’s lived there ?? I know that Arnex and Terrace aren’t exactly around the corner from one another. And last I heard, you can’t get from Arnex to Terrace by bicycle.

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Thanks for the tip Doc, I do enjoy my cognac, but haven’t had the opportunity to try that one. Must give it a go one of these days.

While it is possible to drive from Vancouver to Terrace its around 3000km round trip, not something I’d want to do for a weekend. The couple of times I’ve been to Terrace I flew (and out of the four flights two had to devert to Prince Rupert due to fog – then bused the 100km to or from Terrace). The landing at Terrace airport is certainly an experience. Only one way in, down a winding river vally – Glad I don’t do it more often.

Glad you found Arnex on the web – but you only had to click on my sig (the crest in my Signature).

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If you’re planning on trying the Hennessey, I’d caution you to bring your wallet. Excellence has it’s price. This was $40 a glass at Regine’s in Geneva 20 years ago !! I keep a bottle at home for special occasions and order Hennessey XO when I’m out. Most places don’t stock either one, so it helps me with my budgeting and my indulgent tendancies.

I knew things in the Canadian “Outback” had changed, I just couldn’t imagine how much. I’m all too familiar with the drive from Vancouver, at least as far as Smithers, having made it several times during my business trips out there. All those cool little town names along the way; Spuzzum, Lac La Hache, 100 Mile House, Cache Creek, Stoner… Back then, the only airports were in Prince George and Prince Rupert, and Prince Rupert wasn’t much. What are they using to get into the airports in the smaller towns along Rte 16, “Bush Pilots” ??!!

How did you make your signature crest a hot link ??? I never would have thought to click on that !!! Of course, I had to get the translated version. Je ne parle pas le fran

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I used to work for an airline (now gone bye-bye) based in Vancouver. Joined them in 1974 and they flew to Terrace then (B737s – not the puddle jumpers used today). I’m certain that another airline – Pacific Western or PWA (also gone bye-bye) flew to Smithers, also with seven-threes. But that was in the good old days before deregulation (you know when the airlines made money). I saw a press release the other day where Air Canada was anouncing the ‘introduction’ of Jet service from Vancouver to Kelowna, replacing one of their Dash-8 flights with a A320. Well this was another route served multiple times a day by PWA with Jets in the 80s. How soon they forget.

How did I get my a hot link on my signature. Simple: [ url=”http://www.arnex-sur-nyon.ch/”%5D%5B image]www.wopr.com/w3tuserpics/Bowlie_sig.gif Title=”Bilingual, Macs and PCs”[ /image][ /url] (delete the extra space after the open square bracket) I admit that I first attached the signature – which generated whats between the image tags and then added the URL and Title. Didn’t happen overnight, it evolved as I picked up things from other users (in the cooking forum, of course)

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What a small fishbowl we live in. I have an old childhood friend (Canadian by birth) who worked for an Canadian airline back in the 70’s and 80’s (don’t recall which one). He spent a few years in Whitehorse, up in the Yukon Territory, before being transferred to Vancouver. I visited him in Richmond back in ’84 while I was in town. Lost track of him after that and don’t know where he is today. Just to see how small the fish bowl is, his name is John Way. Ring any bells ??

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I picked up things from other users (in the cooking forum, of course)

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Most of what I know I’ve learned in the kitchen !! Thanks for the tip !!

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Likely the same company – Canadian Pacific Air Lines but then known as CP Air. They served Whitehorse as well. Could have been Pacific Western (who ended up buying CP in 1986 – I had left the year before to come to Geneva) who also flew there, but a little bit later as I recall. The name isn’t familiar though. If the story of how the Western Canadian Bush was opened up see if you can locate: Bush Pilot with a Briefcase. Now those guys were pilots.

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That’s the company alright. If the airline industry had that much trouble back then and he lost his job, he might have gone back to sea. He was in the Merchant Marine before he went to work for CP Air.

Thanks for the intro and link to the book. Looks like an interesting read. I’ll have to look around for a copy.

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That’s the company alright. If the airline industry had that much trouble back then and he lost his job, he might have gone back to sea. He was in the Merchant Marine before he went to work for CP Air.

Thanks for the intro and link to the book. Looks like an interesting read. I’ll have to look around for a copy.

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Likely the same company – Canadian Pacific Air Lines but then known as CP Air. They served Whitehorse as well. Could have been Pacific Western (who ended up buying CP in 1986 – I had left the year before to come to Geneva) who also flew there, but a little bit later as I recall. The name isn’t familiar though. If the story of how the Western Canadian Bush was opened up see if you can locate: Bush Pilot with a Briefcase. Now those guys were pilots.

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What a small fishbowl we live in. I have an old childhood friend (Canadian by birth) who worked for an Canadian airline back in the 70’s and 80’s (don’t recall which one). He spent a few years in Whitehorse, up in the Yukon Territory, before being transferred to Vancouver. I visited him in Richmond back in ’84 while I was in town. Lost track of him after that and don’t know where he is today. Just to see how small the fish bowl is, his name is John Way. Ring any bells ??

[indent]

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I picked up things from other users (in the cooking forum, of course)

---

[/indent]
Most of what I know I’ve learned in the kitchen !! Thanks for the tip !!

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I used to work for an airline (now gone bye-bye) based in Vancouver. Joined them in 1974 and they flew to Terrace then (B737s – not the puddle jumpers used today). I’m certain that another airline – Pacific Western or PWA (also gone bye-bye) flew to Smithers, also with seven-threes. But that was in the good old days before deregulation (you know when the airlines made money). I saw a press release the other day where Air Canada was anouncing the ‘introduction’ of Jet service from Vancouver to Kelowna, replacing one of their Dash-8 flights with a A320. Well this was another route served multiple times a day by PWA with Jets in the 80s. How soon they forget.

How did I get my a hot link on my signature. Simple: [ url=”http://www.arnex-sur-nyon.ch/”%5D%5B image]www.wopr.com/w3tuserpics/Bowlie_sig.gif Title=”Bilingual, Macs and PCs”[ /image][ /url] (delete the extra space after the open square bracket) I admit that I first attached the signature – which generated whats between the image tags and then added the URL and Title. Didn’t happen overnight, it evolved as I picked up things from other users (in the cooking forum, of course)

Reply | Quote

If you’re planning on trying the Hennessey, I’d caution you to bring your wallet. Excellence has it’s price. This was $40 a glass at Regine’s in Geneva 20 years ago !! I keep a bottle at home for special occasions and order Hennessey XO when I’m out. Most places don’t stock either one, so it helps me with my budgeting and my indulgent tendancies.

I knew things in the Canadian “Outback” had changed, I just couldn’t imagine how much. I’m all too familiar with the drive from Vancouver, at least as far as Smithers, having made it several times during my business trips out there. All those cool little town names along the way; Spuzzum, Lac La Hache, 100 Mile House, Cache Creek, Stoner… Back then, the only airports were in Prince George and Prince Rupert, and Prince Rupert wasn’t much. What are they using to get into the airports in the smaller towns along Rte 16, “Bush Pilots” ??!!

How did you make your signature crest a hot link ??? I never would have thought to click on that !!! Of course, I had to get the translated version. Je ne parle pas le fran

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Thanks for the tip Doc, I do enjoy my cognac, but haven’t had the opportunity to try that one. Must give it a go one of these days.

While it is possible to drive from Vancouver to Terrace its around 3000km round trip, not something I’d want to do for a weekend. The couple of times I’ve been to Terrace I flew (and out of the four flights two had to devert to Prince Rupert due to fog – then bused the 100km to or from Terrace). The landing at Terrace airport is certainly an experience. Only one way in, down a winding river vally – Glad I don’t do it more often.

Glad you found Arnex on the web – but you only had to click on my sig (the crest in my Signature).

Reply | Quote

Arnex may be small, but it has a web presence !! And, they may roll up the sidewalks at 10 PM in Geneva, but I have at least one “bad habit” that I picked up there and still have to this day. I was introduced to my alcoholic beverage of choice there. Hennessey Paradis Extra. A small, well aged slice of heaven in a bottle. A blend of some of the oldest cognac in the world.

It’s been over 20 years since I was in BC, and I’m sure much has changed. But, how would one get to Terrace without going through Smithers ?? Or haven’t you had the opportunity to visit your brother since he’s lived there ?? I know that Arnex and Terrace aren’t exactly around the corner from one another. And last I heard, you can’t get from Arnex to Terrace by bicycle.

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I was born in Kelowna, but we moved to Richmond (where Vancouver Airport is). Seen a lot of the Province – but never been to Smithers. My brother lives in Terrace, which isn’t too far from there.

Yes Arnex is small, no school, no church (but a graveyard), no shops, just 11 dozen or so people. There are twice as many cows! But we are 5 minutes from Nyon, a sizable town and 30 from Geneva. Contrary to popular belief they don’t roll up the sidewalks in Geneva at 11 PM (they do it at 10) and is indeed very cosmopolitan. In our crowd there are at least 15 different nationalities (including Swiss) and a half dozen different faiths. Makes for lots of celebrations

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we begin to see frozen turkeys here around mid-Novermber

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[/indent]
I didn’t realize it got that cold there that early in the year !!

[indent]

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I was born in BC and spent the first 3/5ths of my life there.

---

[/indent]
I had a feeling that you were an expat. Thought perhaps an American. What part of BC are you from ?? In my previous life as a business person, I spent some time in BC traveling from Vancouver to Smithers. Beautiful place and friendly people. Also spent a month in Geneve on two different occasions. Unfortunately I was there on business, so I couldn’t really enjoy all the city and countryside had to offer. But the international feel and cosmopolitan nature of the city make it a place that I hope to get back to one day. The little town you’ve chosen as your home sounds quite lovely. The high school in our town has more students in the Senior Class than you have in your entire village !!!

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Hi Bowlie!

“but a Swiss Hausfrau would never be caught using a frozen bird….

This particular American housewife won’t use a frozen turkey either – at least not for the Thanksgiving table. We are lucky that we have a local farm that grows and processes their turkeys for the customer to order – whatever size they want – for purchase either that Tuesday or Wednesday before TDay! This is simply the best tasting way to have a turkey meal. For ordinary meals, if there are turkeys in the frozen bins at the market, then they will do but NOT for Thanksgiving at our house!

Doc – you are correct about the stuffing not needing to be in the turkey for it to taste as good as the “old fashioned way”. For this preparation, we use the canned turkey broth that this same local farmer supplies for purchase. I generally prepare the celery, onion, etc. mixture the evening before and then stir it and the broth into the dried bread crumbs so that it is cold to start with. We still put just a little bit into the turkey – packing it very loosely so it cooks to the desired temp of 170

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Hi Skitter,

Boy are you fortunate !! Having a Local turkey farmer, and one that makes his own Turkey Broth and cans it . And so you don’t have to buy the whole book just for the stuffing recipe, here’s Delia’s Recipe.

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The recipe looks good Doc! And

Have a Jolly Good Cookin’ Christmas!

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The recipe looks good Doc! And

Have a Jolly Good Cookin’ Christmas!

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Hi Skitter,

Boy are you fortunate !! Having a Local turkey farmer, and one that makes his own Turkey Broth and cans it . And so you don’t have to buy the whole book just for the stuffing recipe, here’s Delia’s Recipe.

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Hi Bowlie!

“but a Swiss Hausfrau would never be caught using a frozen bird….

This particular American housewife won’t use a frozen turkey either – at least not for the Thanksgiving table. We are lucky that we have a local farm that grows and processes their turkeys for the customer to order – whatever size they want – for purchase either that Tuesday or Wednesday before TDay! This is simply the best tasting way to have a turkey meal. For ordinary meals, if there are turkeys in the frozen bins at the market, then they will do but NOT for Thanksgiving at our house!

Doc – you are correct about the stuffing not needing to be in the turkey for it to taste as good as the “old fashioned way”. For this preparation, we use the canned turkey broth that this same local farmer supplies for purchase. I generally prepare the celery, onion, etc. mixture the evening before and then stir it and the broth into the dried bread crumbs so that it is cold to start with. We still put just a little bit into the turkey – packing it very loosely so it cooks to the desired temp of 170

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I usually stay out of the Kitchen when events such as turkey stuffing are in progress. Discovered some time ago that while ‘many hands make small work’ ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’.

The Sausage meat stuffing is from this Delia Smith cook book which has lots and lots of traditional (British) Christmas season recipes etc. It also has a handy schedule for the last 48 hours or so – when to do this, when to do that, when to have a glass of bubbly etc. I’m amazed how much stuffing she actually gets under the skin – but obviously not as much as you would get in the cavity. Her turkeys don’t pick up too much of the bacon taste – unless you eat some of the skin, and the sausage flavour isn’t that strong. Perhaps some of the other loungers have some tips or have other recipes.

No, we don’t ‘celebrate’ Thanksgiving – its a uniquely American (and Canadian) thing, however Turkey (Dinde in French) is quite common at Christmas time. Since there are a lot of Americans in and around Geneva (working with the UN and its organisations, NGOs, US Missions etc) we begin to see frozen turkeys here around mid-Novermber, but a Swiss Hausfrau would never be caught using a frozen bird. I was born in and spent the first 3/5ths of my life there. Mrs Bowlie is from the , and we met here in a ski club. Shes been here for over 25 years now – me, not quite so long.

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I’ve heard of that method, but always felt you wouldn’t get enough stuffing. The stuffing from the cavity was never enough to serve all the guests and we always had another pan of stuffing on the side, so when the safety issue came up with food poisoning from undercooked stuffing, we just stopped stuffing the bird altogether. I can see where the stuffing under the skin would help to keep the meat moist and tender. Just might give it a try next time.

I’m curious about the bacon though. I use bacon over meatloaf and pork roasts to keep the meat moist and add a bit of flavor to the dish, but I wonder about the bacon flavoring the turkey. I suppose that if Mrs. Bowlie’s stuffing has sausage in it and you’re stuffing under the skin, that some of that flavor is imparted to the turkey and the bacon flavor just sort of blends into the melange of flavors. I’ll have to give that a try too. BTW – Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Switzerland or do you just like turkey ??? It seems the only time we serve turkey on this side of the pond is Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the supermarkets literally give them away when you spend a certain amout there in the weeks leading up to the holidays. The rest of the year, it’s still sold in the stores, but it’s not widely served and you really only see it as a deli item for sandwiches.

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A variation on the theme, Doc – is to not put it into the cavity, but to insert it between the skin from one (or both) end- Mrs Bowlie does this with her (aka Deila Smith’s) ‘sausage meat’ stuffing – also works to keep the bird tender (she uses bacon over top as well).

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Hiya Skitter !!

I’m gettin’ in on this one kinda late, but I was away on Thanksgiving and missed your original posting. We remodeled our kitchen about 10 years ago and because my wife and I both enjoy cooking we made it a “cooks” kitchen when we got to the appliances. We seperated the cooktop from the ovens for a couple reasons. One, to allow for a double wall oven and the other, so we could have electric ovens (more even heating) and a gas cooktop (better control over the burner temp). The convection ovens are amazing !!! They do so many things with and to food to make it better. I know that sounds strange, that an oven can improve food, but it’s really true (as you seem to have discovered). For me to extol all the virtues here would take up too much room. So, I Googled up the info for you to peruse at your leisure. Look here first and then check out these other two.

PS – Just a little safety tip (although you don’t sound like you need any help in the kitchen); It’s safer and the turkey cooks faster (just what you want, right ???) if you cook the stuffing or dressing outside the bird. I’ve been using this method for about 5 years now and most people can’t tell the difference. Recipes abound on the net, but basically you simply add some chicken broth to the dressing before cooking and cover the dish, uncovering for the last 15 minutes or so if you like it slightly browned.

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