Tackling Turkey Troubles And More

Q: Every year we cook an 18 - 20 pound turkey for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, no one eats the wings or drumsticks and we end up throwing them away. This year I would like to buy two turkey breasts since everyone likes the white meat. Can I cook two nine-pound breasts together in the same pan or should I separate them? Also, should I cook them at a lower tempature instead of 350 degrees?

A: You should separate the breasts. If you have a large pan that can accomodate two racks, or one big rack that will allow air space between the breasts, that will be fine. Roast them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until the temperature in the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees. Allow them to rest, covered with foil, for 20 minutes before carving.

Q: I will be cooking the family Thanksgiving turkey this year. That part is no problem. My concern is I will be baking the turkey at my house but transporting it to my mother's house for the family meal, which is a one-hour drive for me, and then probably not eating for maybe one to two hours later. My question is should I try to keep the turkey warm after I have baked it or should I put it in the refrigerator as soon as I have arrived at my mother's house? I am so afraid of food poisoning and don't want anyone to get sick. How would you advise as far as keeping the turkey warm or cold?

A: Your secret weapon here is a cooler not much larger than the bird itself. You'll also want some VERY stout heat-proof gloves. The silicon gloves sold at most kitchen stores are excellent, if a bit pricey. Welder's gloves are another good alternative.

Buy a roll of extra-wide heavy-duty foil. Roll out enough to wrap all the way around the turkey and lay it on the kitchen counter. Lay another layer of foil on top of the first. Get a couple of towels you don't mind getting a little turkey juice on and lay them next to the foil.

Hopefully, you've been cooking your turkey using a probe thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the breast, or at least some sort of temperature monitor. Leave the probe in, but disconnect the lead wire from the base unit while you complete the next steps. Just wrap the foil around the probe and let the wire trail out of the bundle.

Take the cooked turkey from the oven and put it on the foil. Encase the turkey in the double layer of foil all the way around, then wrap in the towels. Place the thus-encased bird in the cooler and off to mom's house you go.

A half-hour before serving, plug the probe wire back into the base unit and check the temperature. You should still be in good shape. Even if the meat has strayed below 140 degrees, it must remain in that range for some time to be dangerous.

Of course, if you cook a brined turkey by Alton Brown's method (available under the "Romancing The Bird" transcript at www.goodeatsfanpage.com), you can cook the whole bird (14 to 16 pounds) in 2 to 2.5 hours. That's what I'll be eating on Turkey Day, along with my fried bird.

Q: When I make pumpkin pie it always cracks. I have even taken it out of the oven when the center jiggles and after it cools it is cracked. What am I doing wrong? -- Sherry

A: Rest easy, Sherry. If you look at 20 pumpkin pie recipes, 19 of them will tell you that the center of the finished product will have cracks in it. Many commercially made or frozen pies don't show cracks because they use ingredients not available to home cooks as far as preservatives and emulsifiers.

Besides, that's what the whipped cream is for! We call it pie spackle.

Q: I always remember my mother and grandmother, when cooking pots of beans, skimming the foam off the top before adding other ingredients. Is this necessary and why? -- Chris McNeely

A: The foam is formed by water-soluble proteins, and the only reason to skim it off is aesthetic. There are old wives' tales (NOT intending any comment on your mother and grandmother, bless 'em!) saying that the foam is what causes the gaseous emissions so linked to bean consumption, but there's no proof to that.

You can put a touch of olive oil in your bean pot if you'd like to minimize the foam.

Q: What can be used in place of soy sauce, when the recipe calls for it? Karen B.

A: If your problem is the gluten from the wheat used to make the sauce, there are wheat-free soy sauces on the market. They can usually be found with the diet foods in large supermarkets, and at most health-food stores.

If it's the taste you don't like ... well ... perhaps you'd like to try some lovely Swiss Steak or chicken pot pie?

Q: No matter what I do I can't seem to get a fluffy omelette. I've tried just eggs, adding milk, adding water and they still come out kind of flat. What am I doing wrong? Jeannie C.

A: You're quite likely not using high enough heat. A lot of people have the impression that eggs are as fragile as their shells, and thus must be cooked over low heat. A good omelet lives over medium-high heat. Watch the little made-to-order omelet table the next time you go to brunch. Is the flame on that burner set to low? I think not. Omelets are ideal restaurant fare because they cook quickly!

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