Food scientist Dr Stuart Farrimond
is here to help.
I need you to tell me how to cook
the perfect Christmas turkey,
a turkey that actually tastes
of something.
I'll show you science does have the
answer
to making the perfect
Christmas turkey.
Why have you got a bucket?
We're going to give it a bath.
We're going give a turkey a bath?
And that's going to make sure that
we've got super succulent meat.
One bucket of water.
Six litres of water,
300g of salt.
Feel like we're doing a science
class rather than a cooking session.
We also add oranges and syrup
to the mix to boost flavour.
We want the salt to pull the
moisture in
by a process called osmosis.
The high concentration of salt
forces water into the cells
of the meat.
Chefs call it brining.
Nigella was right -
you do have to plump up that
bird before it goes in the oven.
You do indeed.
The theory is that, by starting
off with more water in the meat,
we will have more moisture
in it after cooking, too.
Right, so the turkey's had a bath,
a long soak. What now?
Now I want to give it a special
winter coat, so that, when it goes
in the oven, it becomes super
crispy and super brown.
What's in the winter coat mixture?
In the winter coat we have some
goose fat and some baking powder.
Why are you putting baking
powder on a turkey?
This is the magic of science.
Baking powder is alkaline
and so that will accelerate
the browning reaction.
Known as the Maillard reaction,
it happens faster as the pH
level increases.
Now, wait, wait, wait, wait.
OK, so we want to put it in
upside down. Why?
Upside down...
Why would you do that?
That's cos most of the fat
is on the bottom of the turkey
and the fat is where all
the flavour is,
and so, if we put it upside down,
that fat will dribble down
and will make all of it taste
really succulent.
The fat bastes the breast meat
from the inside,
stopping it from drying out.
I'm going to reveal to you
my other special tip.
You're not going to believe this -
it's ice.
We're trying to cook the turkey,
not cool it down.
So, if you wanted to dry out a
turkey, there'd be no better place
to put it than in an oven
because an oven is incredibly dry
in there.
So, we want to actually keep
the moisture in the bird
as much as possible,
so we want to make the oven humid.
A really easy way to do
this is with ice.
It will turn into steam
and it turn the whole dry oven
into like a little sauna.
That is absolutely brilliant.
Our five-and-a-half-kilo bird
gets a two-and-a-half-hour steam
session
and, halfway through, we flip it
over to keep those juices flowing.
Whoa!
And flip that way?
Yep.
Whoa! There we go.
The reason why turkey gets such
a bad reputation is that people
often overcook it.
So, about 15 minutes before the end
of cooking, we need a thermometer
to check whether the meat is done.
Woohoo! Woo!
So, if you've got it in the coldest
part of the turkey and it's over 75,
it's absolutely safe.
My turkey is bronzed and beautiful.
Here we go, check it out.
That looks amazing. I'm so hungry!
OK, I'm going to carve.
Step away from the turkey.
Why? I'm hungry.
We've got to let it rest.
Oh, the resting thing.
Well, I never bother to rest
my meat,
even though I'm told you should,
because I've made it all hot
and lovely
and I don't want it to get cold.
You've got to really resist the urge
because resting is very important
if you want to have lovely,
succulent meat.
What is the science behind resting?
So, we need to let it rest
so that the moisture and the heat
can spread evenly throughout
the turkey,
and, as you let it cool a little
bit,
the liquid inside sort of thickens.
It's almost got like
an internal gravy.
30 minutes under foil allows
the juices to absorb evenly
into the cooling meat fibres.
# It's the most wonderful
time of the year
# With the kids jingle belling
# And everyone telling you
be of good cheer... #
Ta-dah! Look at that.
That is a high-maintenance turkey.
I've waited long enough.
Resting also reduces
the flakiness of the meat...
..making the turkey easier to carve.
# Marshmallows for toasting
# And carolling out in the snow... #
Wow, it actually tastes of something
and it's not dry.
I've never, ever had
a turkey like that.
It's amazing, isn't it?
You'll never cook a turkey
a different way again.
So, all those little tips
really do transform a turkey.
Absolutely.
That is turk-ally amazing!
That is turk-ally amazing!
# It's the most wonderful time
of the year. #
