Every year, I am implored to re-publish this absolute hands-down winner. Hint: It's an exhaustively tested hybrid between SF treasure Judy Rodgers and ex-LA Times' Russ Parsons.
I'm doing it like this. I just saw this method for the first time recently. It sounds ingenious and so easy. I also saw a video on using pureed carrots, celery and potatoes to thicken up the brown gravy instead of using flour. I'm trying that this year too. Thanks for posting about this.
I should think it would work nicely on the less ambitious birds, Michael! I'm doing it on a bone-in turkey breast for the first time today. Love, The Skin People
In SouthAfrica it is simply too hot at Christmas to attempt anything like this, although some brave diehards insist. At my home the meat cooking is done over the coals by men in shorts with a glass or bottle of liquid refreshment in hand and with only some final touches required for the pre-prepared salads. This year we lost two family members and our Christmas will be a rather restrained affair.
Didn’t Julia Child do something like the butter blanket? And oh dear, my bird is arriving late Tuesday so won’t be able to dry-brine for 3 days; will probably be overnight. I guess I missed all the partisan brouhaha on this site but I think we’d better buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. 😬
I started to tell a friend how my mother prepared a turkey, but now I can simply send her your directions! I grew up in San Francisco, walking distance to Judith Ets-Hokin's shop, so I'll bet that's where Mom discovered the Butter Blanket. Thank you for describing it in detail!
Interesting, thanks for following up, Lauren. I, too, am unable to recall where I first saw it! Those sources certainly make sense for me though. Happy New Year!
It's fascinating to read everyone's accounts of the Butter Blanket technique being used in the way-back times. I know for certain that I first read about it somewhere -- no memory of where -- prior to helming my first T-Day in my dad's Connecticut kitchen in 1982. Was it Julia? Since then, I have heard/read of it with vanishing rarity, but that has not stopped me from executing the Butter Blanket on every T-Day since 1982, even when I was living in Spain and turkeys/cheesecloth were both in short supply. I am happy to re-introduce the technique into the general turkey-centric lexicon. Thank you Evan and David for the re-stacks! I hope to see lots of pics of butter-blanketed turkeys on SM -- please tag me. xxx
I'm doing it like this. I just saw this method for the first time recently. It sounds ingenious and so easy. I also saw a video on using pureed carrots, celery and potatoes to thicken up the brown gravy instead of using flour. I'm trying that this year too. Thanks for posting about this.
I think you will be very pleased, Leslie! Post a pic here?
I am wondering if this butter blanket will work on less ambitious birds like Cornish game hen?
Also: "The skin people can come in now" is this week's favorite phrase.
I should think it would work nicely on the less ambitious birds, Michael! I'm doing it on a bone-in turkey breast for the first time today. Love, The Skin People
Godspeed, Brigit.
In SouthAfrica it is simply too hot at Christmas to attempt anything like this, although some brave diehards insist. At my home the meat cooking is done over the coals by men in shorts with a glass or bottle of liquid refreshment in hand and with only some final touches required for the pre-prepared salads. This year we lost two family members and our Christmas will be a rather restrained affair.
Love that crispy!!!
Didn’t Julia Child do something like the butter blanket? And oh dear, my bird is arriving late Tuesday so won’t be able to dry-brine for 3 days; will probably be overnight. I guess I missed all the partisan brouhaha on this site but I think we’d better buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. 😬
I started to tell a friend how my mother prepared a turkey, but now I can simply send her your directions! I grew up in San Francisco, walking distance to Judith Ets-Hokin's shop, so I'll bet that's where Mom discovered the Butter Blanket. Thank you for describing it in detail!
Bubble burster here, Mom always did this, she's 98. She probably got it from NYtimes in the 60's :)
Oh yes, Lauren, I CERTAINLY didn't invent it! If you find out where she got the idea, I'd be all ears!
I'll ask her
I was sort of right. She couldn't really remember, big suprise!! :) But she said it was probably from Gourmet (cookbook) or the times.
Interesting, thanks for following up, Lauren. I, too, am unable to recall where I first saw it! Those sources certainly make sense for me though. Happy New Year!
It's fascinating to read everyone's accounts of the Butter Blanket technique being used in the way-back times. I know for certain that I first read about it somewhere -- no memory of where -- prior to helming my first T-Day in my dad's Connecticut kitchen in 1982. Was it Julia? Since then, I have heard/read of it with vanishing rarity, but that has not stopped me from executing the Butter Blanket on every T-Day since 1982, even when I was living in Spain and turkeys/cheesecloth were both in short supply. I am happy to re-introduce the technique into the general turkey-centric lexicon. Thank you Evan and David for the re-stacks! I hope to see lots of pics of butter-blanketed turkeys on SM -- please tag me. xxx