Serves 4. Published January 1, 2007. Cook's Illustrated.
Adding a panade (a paste of bread and milk) to the ground beef creates burgers that are juicy and tender even when well-done. For a burger that cooks up flat, press the center of each patty down with your fingertips before cooking. Serve the burgers on your favorite buns or rolls.
Ingredients
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread , crust removed and discarded, bread chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons steak sauce , such as A-1
1 1/2 pounds 80 percent lean ground chuck
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 ounces cheese , sliced, (optional)
4 hamburger buns or rolls
Instructions
1. Mash bread and milk in large bowl with fork until homogeneous (you should have about 1/4 cup). Stir in salt, pepper, garlic, and steak sauce.
2. Break up beef into small pieces over bread mixture. Using fork or hands, lightly mix together until mixture forms cohesive mass. Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Gently toss 1 portion of meat back and forth between hands to form loose ball. Gently flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patty that measures about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about 1/2 inch thick, creating slight depression in patty. Repeat with remaining portions of meat.
3. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just beginning to smoke. Add meat patties, indentation side up, and cook until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Using wide spatula, flip burgers and continue cooking, about 4 minutes for medium-well or 5 minutes for well-done. Distribute equal portion of cheese (if using) on burgers about 2 minutes before they reach desired doneness, covering skillet with lid to melt cheese. While burgers cook, toast buns. Serve on buns with desired toppings.
Recipe Testing
A Half-Ounce of Prevention Our quest for a juicy well-done burger ended when we hit upon a surprisingly effective addition--a bread-and-milk paste (or panade).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Problem with Roast Turkey
From Cook's Illustrated, November 2008
Roasting a whole turkey is a race to keep the white meat from drying out while the dark meat cooks through. So who says you have to roast it whole?
The Problem
How can you bring dark meat up to temperature and keep the skin crisp without overcooking the white meat?
The Goal
We wanted no less than the perfect turkey recipe—an approach that would get our fowl from supermarket to table in just a few hours. We required meat as moist as prime rib, crisp, crackling skin, and it all needed to be accompanied by rich gravy. For a greater challenge, we wanted to do it without salting the turkey or brining it, both of which take the better part of a day.
The Solution
First, we roasted two non-brined turkeys, one using our standard high-heat method and the other at 275 degrees the entire time. The outer layers of the high-heat breast topped a moisture-obliterating 210 degrees. The exterior of the slow-roasted breast reached 176 degrees and the meat was moist, even without a brine. But the long cooking time and undercooked legs and thighs were still a problem. We knew from past chicken recipes that spreading the legs out from the breast helps them cook faster. Rather than breaking down a whole turkey, we bought a breast and two leg quarters (thighs and drumsticks) and roasted them on a rack over a baking sheet to promote air circulation. After about three hours, the breast reached 160 degrees. Without the insulation from the turkey’s backbone and breast meat, the thighs and drumsticks reached 175 degrees just as the breast finished cooking. The results? Tender, juicy meat. The problem now was the skin. Most recipes achieve crisp skin by starting the bird in a hot oven to brown it, then lowering the heat. But that meant a higher oven temperature, which meant dried-out meat. What if we let the turkey cool before popping it back in the oven to crisp the skin? This turned out a perfect turkey from center to edge surrounded by flawless, crisp skin. For a simple gravy, we roasted a mixture of carrots, celery, onions, and herbs under the turkey with some broth. After straining the vegetables and broth, we used the flavorful liquid as a gravy base.
Slow-Roasted Turkey with Gravy
Serves 10 to 12.
Instead of drumsticks and thighs, you may use 2 whole leg quarters, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds each. The recipe will also work with turkey breast alone; in step 2, reduce the butter to 1 1/2 tablespoons, the salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and the pepper to 1 teaspoon. If you are roasting kosher or self-basting turkey parts, season the turkey with only 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
Ingredients
Note: I found it cheapest to just buy an ~12 lb turkey and butcher it into pieces.
3 medium onions , chopped medium
3 medium celery ribs , chopped medium
2 medium carrots , peeled and chopped medium
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 medium garlic cloves , peeled and halved
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels (see note)
4 pounds turkey drumsticks and thighs, trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels (see note)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1 tablespoon table salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Gravy
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 bay leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
1. For the Turkey: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Arrange onions, celery, carrots, thyme, and garlic in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Pour broth into baking sheet. Place wire rack on top of vegetables (rack will rest on vegetables, not on bottom of baking sheet).
2. Brush turkey pieces on all sides with melted butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over turkey. Place breast skin-side down and drumsticks and thighs skin-side up on rack on vegetable-filled baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between pieces.
3. Roast turkey pieces 1 hour. Using wads of paper towels, turn turkey breast skin-side up. Continue roasting until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 170 to 175 degrees in thickest part of thighs, 1 to 2 hours longer. Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer rack with turkey to second baking sheet. Allow pieces to rest at least 30 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours.
4. For the Gravy: Strain vegetables and liquid from baking sheet through colander set in large bowl. Press solids with back of spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables. Transfer liquid in bowl to 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Add chicken broth to measuring cup (you should have about 3 cups liquid).
5. In medium saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is dark golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in broth mixture and bay leaves and gradually bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick and reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Remove gravy from heat and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Keep gravy warm.
6. To Serve: Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet with turkey in oven. Roast until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, transfer turkey to cutting board, and let rest 20 minutes. Carve and serve, passing warm gravy separately.
Step-by-Step
Slow-Roasted Turkey with Gravy
1. ADD AROMATICS
Aromatics and broth catch drippings and help flavor gravy.
2. ARRANGE MEAT
Arrange turkey on rack set over vegetables to allow air circulation. Roast at 275 degrees.
3. FLIP BREAST
Flip breast partway through cooking to ensure uniform doneness.
4. REST, THEN CRISP
Let turkey rest to allow juices to redistribute before final crisping in 500-degree oven.
5. MAKE GRAVY
Strain vegetables and broth, then use this flavorful liquid as a base for gravy.
Roasting a whole turkey is a race to keep the white meat from drying out while the dark meat cooks through. So who says you have to roast it whole?
The Problem
How can you bring dark meat up to temperature and keep the skin crisp without overcooking the white meat?
The Goal
We wanted no less than the perfect turkey recipe—an approach that would get our fowl from supermarket to table in just a few hours. We required meat as moist as prime rib, crisp, crackling skin, and it all needed to be accompanied by rich gravy. For a greater challenge, we wanted to do it without salting the turkey or brining it, both of which take the better part of a day.
The Solution
First, we roasted two non-brined turkeys, one using our standard high-heat method and the other at 275 degrees the entire time. The outer layers of the high-heat breast topped a moisture-obliterating 210 degrees. The exterior of the slow-roasted breast reached 176 degrees and the meat was moist, even without a brine. But the long cooking time and undercooked legs and thighs were still a problem. We knew from past chicken recipes that spreading the legs out from the breast helps them cook faster. Rather than breaking down a whole turkey, we bought a breast and two leg quarters (thighs and drumsticks) and roasted them on a rack over a baking sheet to promote air circulation. After about three hours, the breast reached 160 degrees. Without the insulation from the turkey’s backbone and breast meat, the thighs and drumsticks reached 175 degrees just as the breast finished cooking. The results? Tender, juicy meat. The problem now was the skin. Most recipes achieve crisp skin by starting the bird in a hot oven to brown it, then lowering the heat. But that meant a higher oven temperature, which meant dried-out meat. What if we let the turkey cool before popping it back in the oven to crisp the skin? This turned out a perfect turkey from center to edge surrounded by flawless, crisp skin. For a simple gravy, we roasted a mixture of carrots, celery, onions, and herbs under the turkey with some broth. After straining the vegetables and broth, we used the flavorful liquid as a gravy base.
Slow-Roasted Turkey with Gravy
Serves 10 to 12.
Instead of drumsticks and thighs, you may use 2 whole leg quarters, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds each. The recipe will also work with turkey breast alone; in step 2, reduce the butter to 1 1/2 tablespoons, the salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and the pepper to 1 teaspoon. If you are roasting kosher or self-basting turkey parts, season the turkey with only 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
Ingredients
Note: I found it cheapest to just buy an ~12 lb turkey and butcher it into pieces.
3 medium onions , chopped medium
3 medium celery ribs , chopped medium
2 medium carrots , peeled and chopped medium
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 medium garlic cloves , peeled and halved
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels (see note)
4 pounds turkey drumsticks and thighs, trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels (see note)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1 tablespoon table salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Gravy
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 bay leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
1. For the Turkey: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Arrange onions, celery, carrots, thyme, and garlic in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Pour broth into baking sheet. Place wire rack on top of vegetables (rack will rest on vegetables, not on bottom of baking sheet).
2. Brush turkey pieces on all sides with melted butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over turkey. Place breast skin-side down and drumsticks and thighs skin-side up on rack on vegetable-filled baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between pieces.
3. Roast turkey pieces 1 hour. Using wads of paper towels, turn turkey breast skin-side up. Continue roasting until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 170 to 175 degrees in thickest part of thighs, 1 to 2 hours longer. Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer rack with turkey to second baking sheet. Allow pieces to rest at least 30 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours.
4. For the Gravy: Strain vegetables and liquid from baking sheet through colander set in large bowl. Press solids with back of spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables. Transfer liquid in bowl to 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Add chicken broth to measuring cup (you should have about 3 cups liquid).
5. In medium saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is dark golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in broth mixture and bay leaves and gradually bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick and reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Remove gravy from heat and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Keep gravy warm.
6. To Serve: Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet with turkey in oven. Roast until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, transfer turkey to cutting board, and let rest 20 minutes. Carve and serve, passing warm gravy separately.
Step-by-Step
Slow-Roasted Turkey with Gravy
1. ADD AROMATICS
Aromatics and broth catch drippings and help flavor gravy.
2. ARRANGE MEAT
Arrange turkey on rack set over vegetables to allow air circulation. Roast at 275 degrees.
3. FLIP BREAST
Flip breast partway through cooking to ensure uniform doneness.
4. REST, THEN CRISP
Let turkey rest to allow juices to redistribute before final crisping in 500-degree oven.
5. MAKE GRAVY
Strain vegetables and broth, then use this flavorful liquid as a base for gravy.
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