Here's Why You Shouldn't Add Water to Your Turkey Roasting Pan (2024)

FAQs

Here's Why You Shouldn't Add Water to Your Turkey Roasting Pan? ›

The drippings will be less flavorful and not as concentrated as roast turkey drippings. As a result, your turkey gravy may taste lackluster. Adding water to the turkey roasting pan can lead to spattering or popping during the roasting process as the turkey fat begins to melt and drips into the water.

Place roast, skin side up, on a flat roasting rack in a 2-inch deep roasting pan. Do not add water to pan. Roast uncovered according to Cooking Schedule or until meat thermometer in center of breast roast reaches 170° F and in center of turkey roast reaches 175° F.

A roasting rack will make your turkey more delicious

The main reason is that a rack literally lifts the turkey off the bottom of the pan. This ensures that hot air circulates around the bird as it's roasting, producing a more even cook by allowing heat to reach every surface of the skin.

I also like to add 1 cup chicken broth/stock to the bottom of the turkey pan before beginning the cooking. This will create a steam room-type environment in the oven, which help keep the breast moist but will not prevent browning of the skin.

The roasting pan ends up shielding the bottom part of the turkey from the heat of the oven. The lower parts (thighs and wings) will cook more slowly, meaning the breast might get quite overdone by the time the thighs are ready, and that bottom part of the bird won't brown.

To give your meat a flavourful crispy exterior, cook uncovered on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan. Don't add water!

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

Place chopped onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick a few herbs off the stalks and add to the vegetables. Set aside. Pat dry the turkey with paper towels.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Because turkey breast is especially lean, I like to rub softened fat beneath the skin just before roasting. It melts and gives the meat extra flavor, richness, and moisture. Duck fat is wonderful for this, and it fortifies the poultry flavors, but unsalted butter works well, too.

Should I put a stick of butter in my turkey? ›

Covering a turkey with butter (under and over the skin) serves to flavor and moisten the meat, as well as help the skin get crispy and golden brown.

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

Despite a long standing rumor, there is absolutely no need to put water in between pans when cooking in a NESCO. The patented NESCO Circle of Heat® provides consistent, even cooking throughout. Water will actually slow down the cooking process, and make it more difficult to clean up.

You don't need a roasting rack, but it helps to keep your turkey raised. It might come out a little stewed otherwise. You can use a wire cooling rack if you have one. If not, you can twist up some aluminum foil or cover the bottom of the pan with a chunky layer of coarsely chopped veggies.

Keep in mind, if you're cooking in an oven with the heat source on the bottom, any bits in the roasting pan may burn when you increase the temperature, so add a cup or two of water, turkey stock or wine to the pan to avoid any burning.

Brining is the method whereby meat (turkey, in this case) is soaked in a salty water mixed with aromatics like bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic for a couple of days. This has the effect of trapping moisture in the flesh while it roasts, yielding super juicy turkey.

The domed-lid pan does have one advantage: It cooks the turkey more quickly because it effectively steams and roasts the meat at the same time. While the turkey took less time to cook than the others, almost a quart of juices and butter pooled in the bottom instead of evaporating and concentrating.