Cooking Turkey in Electric Oven

I must admit, I'm a pretty good cook and I REALLY enjoy cooking! I've always cooked with gas, which I really enjoy and found easy to use.

I now have an electric oven and tried to cook a turkey a few years back - I could NOT get it to brown! I did not use a browning bag - I've always used aluminum foil tenting with a split in the middle, and basted every 1/2 hour.

So does anyone have tips on how to brown a turkey in an electric oven? Should I use a browning bag?

Thanks in advance!

Liz R.

I am just suggesting, that is it possible you had the foil the wrong way.

Just make sure the shiny side is facing in.

I have always cook with electric put usually put it in a big enough roasting pan to put the lid on..

One year, I did use foil and it took for ever to cook and silly me had the foil wrong.

Make sure heat is not escaping, also wonder if the split is stopping it from browning. Not sure hope you get more answers.

I use to cook with gas, but when we built this house we went totally electric (except the fireplaces...which are wood..LOL) that meandt I had to learn to cook with electric. What a differance. Anyways...I do my turkeys in the over and foil them, (or use browning bags) but for the last 30 minutes or so..I take the foil completely off so it does brown nice but contune to baste it. I have never had any problems with my turkeys not browning, and they are always nice and juicy. It does take some getting use to cooking with electric..wasnt sure for the first year or two I was going ot like it at all. My biggest problems was with my gas..when I shut it off..it was off, but my electric stayed hot for awhile after.

At about 130o or about 40 min before its done just remove the foil and continue to baste a few more times. And dont cover it again..even while its resting or the skin will turn soggy...who wants soggy...crispy skin is yummy!! Happy Thanksgiving

I have never cooked a dry bird! Mine are juicy and brown!

I wash the bird, pat dry, put it in the cooking bag. No water or flour. But I rub butter on it. Then I close the bag. I lay two foil strips together and fold the edges so it makes a huge wide foil. I tent over the turkey and I pop it in the oven. No need to baste! I just rotate the bird each hour.

Towards the end I take the foil off and let it brown!

Mine is no fuss, no muss. My mom & grandma used to fuss and make a big deal over it all and I couldn't choke down the dry white meat. But the way I do mine, juice runs out when you cut the breast! It's yummy!

Yup my lil wall oven is electric!

I tried to cook a turkey once.. not only would the kids not eat it but the barn cats didnt want any part of it either ... sigh

Needless to say we now go out to eat on Thanksgiving LOL

I've cooked with an electric stove and oven most of my life and never had a problem with browning a turkey.

I've also never covered the turkey with foil while roasting/baking. Before placing it in the oven, I do rub in either veg. oil or olive oil......a couple of tablespoons or so.......

While checking on the turkey and watching the time, if it looks like it's getting really brown, THEN I cover it with a foil tent.

Really MA? I never thought of that!

I cover mine in foil for the cooking of it to ensure all the moisture stays in until the bird is cooked and take the foil off at the end so when the skin browns, it's the fresh, crispy brown. Wouldn't letting it brown first and then covering it with foil let the crispy skin go soft (steam) ?

Just wondering!

We cook ours with the roaster lid on--no foil unless the bird is too big for the lid to sit properly, then I put foil over the bird with the lid on top. A bit of water in the pan, no bothering with basting, and the bird cooks well with just the right amount of browning.

These days though we cook all our birds in the roaster oven. They even brown some in that--just don't use much water, and the browning happens at the very end--not a lot of browning, but a bit, and that works for me.

REO said:

Really MA? I never thought of that!

I cover mine in foil for the cooking of it to ensure all the moisture stays in until the bird is cooked and take the foil off at the end so when the skin browns, it's the fresh, crispy brown. Wouldn't letting it brown first and then covering it with foil let the crispy skin go soft (steam) ?

Just wondering!

Click to expand...

For some reason I've never had a problem. And I don't baste either.

I always did what MA does, and produced a number of nicely-browned, juicy turkeys! I've about always cooked w/ electric; current house(of 30+ years)is all-electric; just how it worked out.

Anyway...I always just rinsed, patted dry, basted w/ butter, put in deep roasting pan on a removable 'grid' so that the turkey didn't rest in its juices. Tented turkey toward the end, if it started to become TOO brown. I did baste(w/ butter/margarine) a time or two, not much, during cooking. Used the 'pinch the leg' or 'stab w/ a fork' tests(before pop-up timers) to determine doneness!

I NEVER stuff a turkey; prefer to cook stuffing separately...and think it makes cooking the turk itself simpler...JMO. Oh, and I'm at high altitude; there's adjustments in time, temperature necessary, but they become sort of second nature after awhile.

Margo

Wow - you guys have some GREAT suggestions!!!!

I've never thought about cooking the turkey open either, and covering it at the end! I might get brave and try that this year!

I season the turkey with salt and pepper, then put pads of butter on it (for basting later once it melts). I stuff the center (not for eating) with maui onions, quartered lemons and fresh rosemary. I also add some water to the pan initially, to add to the basting juices.

For the sides I make stuffing with sauteed veggies, spinich salad with light vinagrette, walnuts and crumbled blue cheese, fresh green bean/haricot side dish, garlic mashed potatoes, and orange-cranberry sauce (from scratch).

Thanks for the suggestions, guys - you are always a wealth of information!

Liz R.

One word: rotisserie. I've cooked 3 big birds this way and countless whole chickens. You won't find a juicier or tastier bird!

Cool MA, that's good to know!

I'll stick with what I know, foil first, brown after LOL!

As long as your birdie is juicy and brown, I say pass the taters & gravy!

*does the pee pee dance* Ahhh it's hard to wait!

I don't put the stuffing in the bird, I make it as a casserole, but I do stuff the cavity with apple slices, helps make a moist juicy bird. I recently heard that you can baste the bird with apple cider for browning and I am going to try that this year. I cook my turkey covered and take the cover off at the end and baste frequently until brown. I cooked uncovered one year and the turkey white meat was great but the legs were shoe leather.

I didn't think about the legs. We always cook the bird covered and the legs fall off the bone LOL. Of course we don't go for neatness at our house! NOM NOM NOM

I've always loved how my grandma cooks hers. She also does very little fussing with it and her turkeys are fantastic. Actually, I'm so spoiled on grandma food that whenever I eat anywhere else for holidays I always get disappointed. Terrible, I know!!

Now I don't know EXACTLY how she does (I'm pretty sure that grandma love is the special ingredient. Everything tastes better with grandma love, right? )

Okay, so here is how I've seen her do it:

Turkey is covered in butter and seasoned with something (probably simple salt and pepper) and then goes in one of those deep roasting pans with a little bit of water at the bottom. She doesn't cover the turkey at all, just cooks it at a low temperature all day basting every 30 minutes or so. The turkey comes out a perfect golden brown with crispy skin and juicy meat. YUM!

I am super excited for Thanksgiving now

I always just put my bird in a shallow roasting pan. Usually just one of the disposable type (I hate clean up). Then I loosely tent the bird. If the legs start to brown too fast I cover them with foil. My foil is always Shiny side in and I spray non-stick on it so it doesn't stick to the bird. Works for me.

My friend is a chef and told me to do it this way. Rub olive oil, salt and pepper all of the turkey. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 1/2 hour or until brown, then reduce heat (325) and tent with foil and continue baking until done. It's the reverse that alot of people do. I've never had a juicier, more tendier bird EVER! By browing first you're sealing in the juices.

I might try the high heat first, then lowering it for the rest of the time. I've got 2 thermometers (one for the oven temp and one for the meat temp) - that seems to be the biggest challenge - the oven temp fluctuates and is not consistant with the temp I want to cook at! I'm thinking time for a new oven!!!

Great advice everyone - thank you!!!