Comments on: chef doug katz on the perfect thanksgiving turkey (plus win heinen’s gift card)

By: Michelle V

Michelle V — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:05:25 +0000

Sorry for the delay – just learned #19 is the winner. Thanks for everyone for participating. I know I now have lots of new dishes to try!

-Michelle

By: Kimberly Rush

Kimberly Rush — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:25:40 +0000

So who won the gift card? I guess I didn’t! But thanks to everyone for all the great recipes!

By: Cassie Jebber

Cassie Jebber — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:04:58 +0000

Pacific Cranberry sauce:
1 can Canned Cranberry Sauce (berry type, not gel)
1/4 can Crushed Pineapple – drained
1/2 can Mandarin Oranges – drained
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste

By: Michelle V

Michelle V — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:15:45 +0000

Recipe Change! Hi everyone, based on Jay’s comment, I reached out to Doug to see if he could offer any tips, etc. to the poster. He shared that he made an error in the recipe. It should be 1 c sugar and 1 cup salt – not two.

Thanks to Jay for trying this out for us all before Thanksgiving and making us aware that something was off.

By: jay

jay — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:33:57 +0000

Thanks for all the great recipes.

Like some other posters, we’re preparing our first Thanksgiving dinner this year and we’ve been trying out a bunch of different recipes over the last few weeks, including turkey recipes. Last week, we tried Alton Brown’s brined turkey recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html), and yesterday we tried Doug Katz’s recipe. (Now we’re sick of turkey!)

As between the two, we’re sticking with Alton Brown’s. Doug’s uses twice as much salt in the brine and the turkey (brined in both instances for about 18 hours) was way too salty, even after rinsing it (which Doug’s recipe doesn’t specify). Also, while preparing the brine for Brown’s recipe is more labor intensive (the brine has to be cooked and then cooled), preparing the vegetables that Doug’s recipe calls for is both labor intensive and messy–they’re to be browned in oil, which splattered and made a bit of a mess. Finally, Doug’s recipe ais missing some important details, i.e., was I supposed to rinse the turkey after brining? Was I supposed to cook the turkey directly on the vegatables or on a rack? (I used a rack because I was concerned the bottom of the turkey would not cook properly). While we were glad to try his recipe, we just weren’t that happy with the process and results.

Good luck to all this Thanksgiving.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:00:30 +0000

This year I’m taking over cooking Thanksgiving since my parents were both diagnosed with cancer. I’ve always wanted to make brussel sprouts for them and I have my own little recipe that I concocted. It’s Bacon Brussel Sprouts. If you want the recipe feel free to check it out on my food blog http://cookingwithjackson.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/herbed-chicken-with-basil-pasta-and-bacon-brussels-sprouts/

Just scroll down with the recipe.

Enjoy!

By: Sophie

Sophie — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:14:28 +0000

You can delete my previous post. Apparently I am internet challenged.

By: Sophies Thanksgiving

Sophies Thanksgiving — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:12:15 +0000

I have everyt Thanksgiving Recipe from my friends, family, and even some people I don’t know any more. Hopefully there is some thing there that you guys can use.

By: Bridget Callahan

Bridget Callahan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:07:21 +0000

Hey, this was a perfect comment thread. I have to do the dinner this year for my folks, and now I have like 3 new dishes to try. Totally awesome.

By: Rob F.

Rob F. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:32:27 +0000

First of all, thanks to everyone for the great recipes and ideas.

To accompany the standard sides, my wife makes a delicious cranberry chutney for Thanksgiving. It is a great stand-alone side, and adds beautiful color to the plate. But if you’re like me, I find it makes the perfect “glue” for my plate of mashstuffcorngreenurkey! I can’t wait to make a mess on my plate in a couple of weeks…

Recipe for Cranberry Chutney:

2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced apple (granny smith)
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. each of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves OR 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 oz. dried cranberries
1/2 can jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 cup raisins

Combine vinegar and sugar in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, add onion, raisins, and apple, then return to a boil. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes or until apples are tender. Stir occasionally. Serve warm or at room temperature.