Against Trussing: Turkey Advice from Fine Cooking
Trussing is that final step in turkey prep when you wrap the turkey neatly in twine and tie the legs together. Your grandma trussed. Your mom trussed. You probably truss, too. But in a recent Fine Cooking article, food science gurus David Joachim and Andrew Schlosss explain that trussing…well, it’s just not that worth it.
Joachim and Schloss say that trussing prevents hot air from circulating around the legs. This causes the turkey to cook unevenly, and the breast meat tends to overcook while the legs are still roasting away.
Trussing is really just for appearances sake, they say. If you’re already planning on carving the turkey in the kitchen and carrying the platter to the table, just skip it altogether. Even if you’re planning to carve the turkey à table, it’s still worth the sacrifice of traditional appearance for a more evenly roasted turkey.
Do you truss? Or have you discovered this anti-trussing secret for yourself?
• Read the Article: The Science of Roasting a Perfect Turkey by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss from Fine Cooking, Oct/Nov 2011