The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 716

Step 2: Go in from the Bottom Lift up the flap of skin at the bottom of the breasts, insert one or two fingers, and slowly work your way upward, separating the skin as you go and being careful not to tear it Step 3: Meet in the Middle Use the fingers of your other hand to go in through the neck end, separating the skin there Your fingers should be able to meet in the middle once all the skin has been separated Rub salt and pepper into the breast meat Your bird is now ready to roast BASTING AND TRUSSING: TWO METHODS THAT DON’T MAKE FOR JUICIER MEAT I ’ve seen it suggested that barding chicken by draping it with slices of a fatty meat, like bacon, or basting it by spooning melted butter or pan juices over the top as it cooks, will help it stay moist There are two theories behind this The first is that some of the fat will be absorbed into the breast meat Poppycock As our experiments have shown us, that breast meat is shrinking and actively forcing juices out—it certainly ain’t absorbing anything! The second theory applies only to barding, and it’s that the layer of fat will provide insulation to help the meat cook more gently and prevent it from drying out This much is true, but here’s the problem: as much as I love most things more when they’re wrapped in bacon (yes, dear, I’m talking about you), bacon makes mild chicken and turkey taste like, well, bacon And if I wanted bacon, I’d cook bacon (Then again, if you are the type who likes that flavor in your turkey or chicken, go for it!) It also precludes the possibility of crisp skin In fact, not only does basting the breast with hot pan juices increase the rate at which it cooks, exacerbating the dryness, but the moisture in the juices or melted butter also keeps the skin from crisping properly A far better solution is to brush your bird occasionally with room-temperature oil (or rendered duck or chicken fat, if you want to get fancy) as it cooks This will help you achieve deeper, more even browning, but it won’t affect moistness in any way Trussing—the act of tying up the bird’s legs before cooking—is also an oft-recommended but totally pointless exercise In fact, it has the opposite effect of what you want for a bird, effectively shielding the inner thighs and thereby making the slowest-to-cook part cook even more slowly Chickens and turkeys should always be left as nature intended them: with their legs wide open, to allow for maximum heating via convection  ... precludes the possibility of crisp skin In fact, not only does basting the breast with hot pan juices increase the rate at which it cooks, exacerbating the dryness, but the moisture in the juices... when they’re wrapped in bacon (yes, dear, I’m talking about you), bacon makes mild chicken and turkey taste like, well, bacon And if I wanted bacon, I’d cook bacon (Then again, if you are the. .. effectively shielding the inner thighs and thereby making the slowest-to-cook part cook even more slowly Chickens and turkeys should always be left as nature intended them: with their legs wide open, to allow for