how to rest a bird?

[boyse7en]

All the recipes/techniques for roasting a turkey say it should be rested for about an hour...

How do I keep it hot/warm for that long? I can't keep it in the oven as no room?

I'm thinking of wrapping it in foil, putting it in a bin liner then putting it in a sleeping bag. Or is this as ludicrous as it sounds?

[fat80b]

boyse7en said:

I'm thinking of wrapping it in foil, putting it in a bin liner then putting it in a sleeping bag. Or is this as ludicrous as it sounds?

We wrap ours in foil and then a beach towel - it comes out of the oven about 2-3 hours before we need it and it is still piping hot when it comes to carving.

The resting time always makes a bird steamy and moist......

Bob

[jmorgan]

I used to finish the last bit in the oven on a trivet (if not cooked on a bed of veg) and rest for a short while.

Short while defined as "how long I can keep my mits of nicking bits when carving......"

[Bill]

Foil and a tea towel here. It's a big mass that took ages to get up to temperature, so will take ages to cool.

[SHutchinson]

Yup, many layers of foil and then a tea towel or two. It'll stay warm for ages but they're generally easier to carve once they've cooled a bit anyway.

[Sharted]

Hostess trolley.

Big ponce that I am.

[boyse7en]

fat80b said:

We wrap ours in foil and then a beach towel - it comes out of the oven about 2-3 hours before we need it and it is still piping hot when it comes to carving.

The resting time always makes a bird steamy and moist......

Bob

Beach towel is probably easier than the sleeping bag...

Think I'll do that.

[boyse7en]

Sharted said:

Hostess trolley.

Big ponce that I am.

I can't picture that without thinking of the Victoria Woods song....

[Kermit power]

Do you take the skin off before resting?

I'm not a turkey fan at all, so don't know what the skin is like on that, but the nice, crispy herby, buttery, garlicky skin off a roast chicken straight out of the oven is one of the finest gastronomic treats known to man! I always strip the skin off before resting the bird because I don't want to risk it going soggy, but was wondering a) would it actually go soggy? b) does it interfere with the goals of resting in the first place?

[Davey S2]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That's from his French training as they always rest the bird for the same amount of time as you cook it for.

[thebraketester]

Give her a cup of tea and a cigarette.

[Kermit power]

Davey S2 said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That's from his French training as they always rest the bird for the same amount of time as you cook it for.

To be fair to the French, their cooking isn't at all bad, but when it comes to cooking a decent bit of meat for the sake of the meat itself, they're not much cop!

[Vyse]

No matter what you do, how you cook the thing, the breast is going to resemble chalk.

[Pferdestarke]

It's a tough old bird to get right.

I've brined a breast for Sunday. Will sous vide and then blast to finish.

[jmorgan]

Before I stoppe cooking a bird, be it turkey or cockerel, I would get it it boned and rolled.

[21TonyK]

Same as with chicken, if you cling the bird up and cook very low and slow rotating as you go (to a core of 80 degrees) you will have moist meat. Rest for as long as you want then blast for 15 minutes in a very hot oven when you are ready to eat.

[Bill]

21TonyK said:

if you cling the bird up

This warrants some experimentation, but I've never struggled with a straightforward blast then 180 until it's cooked. A meat thermometer is key though.

[BoRED S2upid]

Foil and a tea towel it will keep warm although you should try the sleeping bag just for the look on your guests faces.

Cool the old bird upside down keep it juicy.

[Ms R.Saucy]

Bill said:

Foil and a tea towel here. It's a big mass that took ages to get up to temperature, so will take ages to cool.

especially if foil wrapped and insulated with a towel

[21TonyK]

Bill said:

21TonyK said:

if you cling the bird up

This warrants some experimentation, but I've never struggled with a straightforward blast then 180 until it's cooked. A meat thermometer is key though.

Works with all lean meats. Basically they steam in their own juices, then you roast for colour and flavour very quickly.

Helps if you have a steam oven but a conventional oven at 100-120 degrees works fine although you do need to keep an eye on the cling splitting.

A rolled pork belly works really well like this with a layer of greaseproof or foil around the cling.