Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I've been experimenting with turkey. On the big day I plan on roasting a whole bird using a baking bag, but I thought I'd practice on smaller pieces in the weeks leading up to it. For today's trial I used a six quart stock pot with a steamer insert. I wanted to keep the bird out of its cooking juices hoping to obtain a crispy skin. I
brined the breast overnight and put it in the Sun Oven at just after ten a.m. By noon the
probe thermometer was at 180ยบ and the breast was ready. Just in time for lunch. The skin did come out crispy but I think I prefer cooking poultry with rice. When cooked together the rice comes out so scrumptious that I'm happy to sacrifice the crisp skin. My only problem now is what will we have for dinner?
Here are the tools I used today - minus the probe thermometer. A
six quart stock pot, a steamer insert and two canning jar lids to set on the floor of the Sun Oven chamber.
Thank you - now I know I can have a great turkey breast dinner for my visiting family. I'm really going to show off my solar cooking skills.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to the blog, but wanted you to know I'm impressed and inspired. I bought a solar oven in March and have not used it as often as I was hoping, but with some encouragement and ideas from your blog I'm going to start using it more often. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHow is the steamer insert used? I saw one at Salvation Army thrift store last week and wondered what it was for. It wouldn't keep things off the bottom (since it's flat) so if you put water in, then that, the food inside would be in the water. So how do you use it??? I thought it was for blanching, but the holes were so big I couldn't use it for broccoli or beans (the two items I blanch for freezing).
ReplyDeleteAnd what were the rings for?
Yesterday was the first time I used the steamer insert inside the pot. I also got it at a thrift store and at first did not know what it was. I used it so the turkey breast would not be in contact with the cooking juices. Usually I use it under the six quart stockpot like a trivet. This is a necessity when using a Sun Oven without the leveling tray. You cannot place anything directly on the bottom of the oven or there will be a hotspot and the food would burn. A small trivet, or the steamer insert works perfectly. Yesterday, since I was using the steamer in the pot, I improvised and used the canning jar lids to lift the pot. I think to use the insert as a steaming basket you would put it 'upside down' inside the pot, which is in fact how I used it yesterday.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank-you all for your comments and thanks.
ReplyDelete