Need some ideas and help

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-12-2003
Need some ideas and help
8
Mon, 11-23-2009 - 4:18pm

I ordered a turkey. Last year I had the same turkey for XMAS here and it was delicious but as I was picking the bones after dinner, I realized that the bottom part wasn't any where near cooked.  OMG, but true.  Glad no one else was in teh kitchen with me at the time.  So I have 2 questions:


1.  Why would the top and middle cook and not the bottom? I have a convection oven which circulates the heat around adn all over so that one could feasibly bake or roast many sheets of cookies or cakes or a turkey,, with ease.   How long do you calculate to bake a stuffed turkey.  At what temp and what ever else you can think of.   Last year I did not have my turkey roaster (that deep navy blue pan for roasting , and I don't have it this year either)...  so I put it on a regular  baking sheet pan that fits in the oven..  so those are the facts. 


2.  I make chestnut stuffing for the bird,, which I stuff and cook in the bird.  I brought the vacuum packed whole shelled French chestnuts with me but forgot to pack the celery stalks.  I can not find celery stalks here,, I can find the celery root (which gets soft when cooking ).   Anyone have any ideas (other than cabbage), that I could substitute for celery to get the neat crunch?  (I  do have celery salt for flavour).       I thought about fennel root , but can not find that either... so need some ideas on this...    carrot will get too soft for sure.


Thanks.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-07-2001
Mon, 11-23-2009 - 5:04pm

http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/calculators-and-conversions

http://www.norbest.com/turkey_tips.aspx

The links above will help you calculate how long it would take to roast a turkey stuffed. Did you also use a meat thermometer?

As for why is was not cooked, I wondering if the turkey was completely thawed. It is very possible, especially if it was still frozen in the deep area and when stuffed, well, that would just insulate it even more.

Anyway, I always cover my turkey with foil tent most of the cooking time, except near the end so it can brown and crisp up. I don't stuff it either as it takes so much longer to cook. You could put stuffing around the exterior, but leave space between the bird and the stuffing so heat can circulate. Otherwise, I just bake stuffing separately.

As for crunch, see if you can find water chestnuts (in the can) and use those or maybe walnuts.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-12-2003
Mon, 11-23-2009 - 5:27pm

The bird was (is fresh,,)

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-07-2001
Mon, 11-23-2009 - 5:56pm

My oven is a good old fashioned standard one.

Good luck with the stuffing and let me know what you decided to use. Sleep tight, Suzan. ;-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-08-2005
Mon, 11-23-2009 - 7:21pm

I think the turkey was not thawed all the way too. Nuts like twoki said i think is the answer.


I cook my bird in a deep roaster with a rack in the bottom. That way the heat gets all the way around the bird.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-14-2007
Mon, 11-23-2009 - 10:42pm

There's lots of convection cooking tips online. Here's just one of many....


http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--987/convection-oven-turkey-roasting.asp


My DD1 has a convection, but I don't, so I know little about it.


Deb's ideas of water chestnuts or nuts in the stuffing sounds like great ideas!!


Now if your pie crust comes out okay, you'll be all set!! I don't understand why you have such a hard time with pie crust. Is it too hard to roll out..not flakey enough..don't like the flavor? What is it?



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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-12-2003
Tue, 11-24-2009 - 3:53am

I will use the standard heat set up this year,, above and bottom heat like a regular oven.. see how that works.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2003
Tue, 11-24-2009 - 6:02am

just follow instructions carefully & it woill cook just fine.i never used a convection. usually cook a turkey at 325-


the water chestnut sounds better than cabbage.


there were many times i had to patch my pie crust!


hope you have a nice dinner.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-14-2007
Tue, 11-24-2009 - 1:08pm

Yea, I thought it was probably the rolling out. That can get annoying for sure! I just roll mine between two pieces of waxed paper beneath and two on top of the dough. I pull it down over the edge of the counter and lean against it to keep it from sliding around. I do it this way because I don't like to have to keep putting flour on the rolling pin and counter to keep it from sticking....


http://hoosierhomemade.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Pie-Crust.fixed.3.jpg


There are other ways, my mom used to use this


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