Tidbits

Cooking up business

Atlanta-based Metrokitchen.com, run by Brewer native Jay-Paul Thibault, just released its first catalog in time for the holidays. The company features high-end cookware, including pots and pans by All-Clad and Mauviel, knives by Wusthof and Henckels, and appliances by Cuisinart and Waring. For a free catalog, call (888) 892-9911, or visit the Web site at www.metrokitchen.com. If you order now, shipping is free within the United States.

The grape debate

It’s grape against grape at the Brooklin Inn’s “Organic Wine Shootout.” Chef Garry Botbyl will prepare an organic, six-course, French-inspired dinner, and Marc Boechat of the Blue Hill Wine Shop will guide a tasting of nine wines in which organic wines will be paired against similar wines from around the world. The event will start at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. It costs $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and reservations are suggested. For information, call 359-2777 or visit www.brooklininn.com.

No-fail fowl

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, on newsstands and in bookstores, offers Thanksgiving cooking tips that any turkey could follow, including the “Classic Guide to Roasted Turkey.”

Place a thawed or fresh turkey, breast up, on a flat rack in a shallow pan, 2 to 2-1/2inches deep. Brush or rub the skin with oil to prevent drying of the skin and to enhance the golden color. Place into a preheated 325? F oven. When the skin is a light golden color and the turkey is about two-thirds done, shield the breast loosely with a tent of lightweight foil to prevent overcooking of the breast.

The almanac offers the following roasting schedule: For a 10- to 18-pound bird, cook 3 to 31/2 hours unstuffed or 33/4 to 41/2 hours stuffed. For a 18- to 22-pound bird, cook 31/2 to 4 hours unstuffed or 41/2 to 5 hours stuffed. For a 22- to 24-pound bird, cook 4 to 41/2 hours unstuffed or 5 to 51/2 hours stuffed. For a 24- to 30-pound bird, cook 41/2 to 5 hours unstuffed or 51/2 to 61/4 hours stuffed. Use an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness.

The turkey is cooked when it reaches the following internal temperatures: 180 to 185 degrees F deep in the thigh, also, juices should be clear not pink, when the muscle is pierced deeply; 170 to 175 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast, just above the rib bones; 160 to 165 degrees F in the center of the stuffing (if the turkey is stuffed). Let the turkey sit for 15 to 20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to set.

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