This actually happened to a friend of ours last year: she had cleaned out the turkey, had rubbed it with marinade, and was ready to put it in the oven when she realized that she had a roasting pan but no rack!
This is a fairly essential piece of equipment for lifting the bird away from the direct heat of the pan and allowing hot air to circulate underneath.
If you find yourself without a "real" roasting rack with hours to go before dinner, here's a quick DIY to the rescue!
We first spotted this solution in Saveur magazine in their December issue from last year, but forgot about it until now.
They suggest taking a few sheets of tin foil and scrunch them into a long rope. Then coil the rope into a spiral (as shown above). The turkey is then cradled just above the surface of the pan - allowing it to cook and brown evenly.
We also think it's a good idea to spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray before hand. No one wants bits of foil to adhered to their drumstick!
Has anyone ever tried doing this?
• See more images at Saveur.com
Related: Good Question: How to Cut Up a Turkey Before Roasting
(Image: Saveur Magazine)
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A few years ago I was without a roasting rack too....my solution...I used the grate that covers the burner on my gas stove. I have high, thick grates on my stove. I covered it with foil (for easy clean up) and stuck it in the bottom of the pan. It kept the turkey off the bottom, clean up was a breeze, and best of all.....it worked!
That's a good idea. I usually go with carrots, celery and onions in a somewhat large dice. A good edible solution. :D
When I roast a chicken I don't use a rack, I usually slice a few white or yellow onions thickly (about an inch or inch and a half) and put the chicken on top of that. It keeps the bird from the bottom of the pan and seasons the drippings. This could probably work for a turkey as well!
Enjoy!
Last time I didn't use a roasting rack the turkey turned out just fine. I don't see the absolute need, but the racks with the handles DO help get the bird out unscathed.
I'm with thesamanthafiles, I only ever roast with a bed of peeled carrots celery and onions (and any other aromatics that might be in teh crisper). They season the drippings for sure, and I also pull out the carrots, puree and strain them as a key component of the gravy.
I don't own a roasting rack. I've roasted chickens plenty of times, and actually the BEST roast chicken i've ever made was in a small cast iron pan which allowed the chicken to cook sitting in about a 1/4" of its own juices and fat. The bottom of the chicken came out fried because it had been sitting in its own hot fat and MAN was that delicious!!!
I absentmindedly cooked the turkey upside down this year, with no rack. It was the best one I've ever done. I think because the breast meat was marinating in it's own juices, which inadvertently solved the problem of how to get the whole bird cooked without drying out the breasts. It was not very attractive when I got it on the platter, but it tasted so good I'll probably do it again next year.
nchanceb-- i did that too! On Purpose even!! (with 20 min reversed to brown the breast skin...)
and we just carved the turkey in the disposable pan and threw the whole thing out, as we dont really have the space to keep a roasting pan anyway.
pray tell...why is a roasting rack really needed?
I didn't have enough tin foil, and a cooling rack wouldn't fit in my roasting pan. I used a metal steamer basket instead:
<img src="http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/4635/imag2933.th.jpg">
<img src="http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/6311/imag2934.th.jpg">
I've also used the rack from my toaster oven in a pinch (if you have a toaster oven, that is)!