By Keith Allen
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Cooking your own turkey tomorrow?
Here are a few tips for cooking a turkey from The Tack Room's Executive Chef Rodney Timm.
˜ Once the turkey is thawed, you must clean the cavity of the turkey well, Timm said. Once that is done, you must dry the turkey off. Timm said that basting does help keep moisture in the turkey.
˜ When the cavity is cleaned out, Chef Timm recommends that you put salt, pepper and granulated garlic inside. You can put other seasoning in the turkey if you want to. He said that if you have other herbs or seasonings for the turkey, you slit the skin and place the seasonings between the meat and skin. Remember to take the herbs out before carving the turkey. Most Thanksgiving turkeys are cooked in the traditional means, with salt and pepper in the cavity of the turkey.
˜ For a crispy golden skin, Chef Timm said that once the turkey is warmed up in the oven, you should coat the bird's skin with butter.
˜ The biggest thing to do, though, Chef Timm said, is not to overcook the turkey. He said this is one of the main problems people have when preparing their Thanksgiving turkey.
Now, what to go along with the turkey?
Chef Timm said traditional dishes like mashed potatoes and stuffing are always good. If you want a different take on your Thanksgiving meal, you can prepare different takes on both these dishes. Some that he has tried include garlic mashed potatoes, potatoes and parsnips, corn bread stuffing and corn bread stuffing with chiles in it.
"The sky is the limit," Chef Timm said.
The Tack Room is one of only six restaurants in the United States that is rated five stars and five diamonds. The Tack Room is located at 2800 N. Sabino Canyon Rd.