Sunday, December 5, 2010

Another review!

I know I just talked about Thanksgiving dinner, but thanks to CSN Stores, I was able to review Calphalon's Stainless Steel roasting pan*.  


Oh man, what a beauty!    The pan comes with a nonstick roasting rack and some tongs/handles.  Even though I wasn't on turkey duty, I needed to test out the pan  (and make some leftovers!!).  I chose a turkey breast for my first go at roasting a bird and finally decided on a recipe for Sage Butter-Roasted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy.


I pretty much followed the recipe, just cutting back on some of the amounts as I wasn't cooking a turkey the size called for.    Instead of brining, you actually rub a mixture of salt and dried sage the night before cooking.   My only trouble here was that I had rinsed and dried my turkey...  so the kosher salt didn't stick.  Unfortunately I forgot about this fact when I went to make the gravy (where all the salt fell off the turkey), so my gravy was waaay too salty.    It's ok though, I don't like gravy :)    Sorry mom and dad!



The turkey, however, turned out fantastic.  Moist and absolutely delicious, I'd totally use this recipe again!   The roasting pan was also a rockstar, as gravy was easily made in the pan after cooking the turkey and cleanup was a breeze!   Winner, winner, chicken turkey dinner :)


Have you ever roasted a turkey or chicken?  Do you have a go-to recipe?  Thoughts on brining?  Do share!


*Disclaimer:  This product was provided (at a small cost) to me to review.  The thoughts and results are my own!

20 comments:

Reeni said...

That is a really nice pan! And a yummy looking turkey!

Joanne said...

Sounds like one awesome pan! I need to accrue more meat-roasting tools but since I rarely do it, there hasn't really been a good effort on my part to do so. Soon...

Unknown said...

I thought about getting one of those too. Good call on the review.
LC

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

This turkey looks absolutely amazing! I know we just had Thanksgiving but I NEVER tire of turkey!

Lauren said...

Would you believe that I have yet to use the roasting pan/rack that we received as a wedding present 1 1/2 years ago?! I need to host Thanksgiving next year so I can use it!. Your turkey looks gorgeous, and I'm a big fan of brining meats. I've never cooked a turkey before, but I brine chicken breasts for super moist chicken salad!

Beth said...

Your turkey looks great. Too bad about the salt! I like my gravy too, so I'd be wearing a sad face like your mom and dad.

SKIP TO MALOU said...

I also tend to forget about making gravy out of the drippings, and it does turn out way too salty. Great review and it makes me want to have a pan like this one too!
your turkey looks golden-brown-perfect!

Malou

Alison Kinsey said...

wow it looks like it worked really well!

Elina (Healthy and Sane) said...

I've roasted a chicken once... http://healthyandsane.com/2010/03/my-first-whole-roasted-chicken/
It came out quite well but I'm always up for trying new tricks like brining :)

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

I havea very similar pan and they are so handy!!

Kelly said...

Your turkey looks incredibly moist
Shannon, not that I should expect anything less. I actually just put a roaster on my xmas list, though it was a le creuset cast iron roaster. Cannot wait to get it and try it out!

Mary Ellen said...

I will keep this review bookmarked, I do not own a roasting pan but would like to get one relatively soon!

Jess said...

The first time I roasted chicken I accidentally put it upside down in the pan and my boyfriend and I kept trying to figure out what was wrong with it. Now I call it "Upside Down Chicken" like it's a recipe.

Unknown said...

I still have yet to make my own turkey. One of these days, ha ha if I ever get roasting pan.

How could you not like gravy!!!



;)

Biz said...

Totally jealous of that pan Shannon!

I brined our turkey last year, and I think I liked it even better than our deep fried turkey, so that's saying a lot!

http://mybizzykitchen.com/2009/11/27/happy-thanksgiving-2/

I found big brining bags at Bed Bath & Beyond, and while we did ham at Thanksgiving, we are definitely doing this brined turkey for Christmas this year!

Sagan said...

Cool! I've never done the brining thing. Or roasted my own turkey. I need to try that sometime.

Bridget said...

I've roasted a turkey every year for the past 8 years! So I was very excited a few years ago when I got my very own nice roasting pan (before that I always borrowed mom's). I always just brush teh bird with butter and use lots of kosher salt and pepper. I also make my gravy right in the roasting pan over 2 burners using the drippings :) Your's looks beautiful!! If I'm roasting a bird any other time than for Thanksgivign I like adding different herbs and other additions :)
My next purchase needs to be turkey lifters though haha!

Emily said...

WOW! Oh man, your turkey looks good. I love sage. I've never made a turkey before. I admire you.

Kerstin said...

Such a pretty bird! I want to try the dry brining method at some point too :)

Rosiecat24 said...

That's exactly what I thought--what a beauty indeed! CSN is such a fantastic company. In fact, I just bought a Christmas present from them. I love how much variety they have in their shops--and the fact that you can shop in your pajamas :-)

PS I may be vegetarian, but an apple cider gravy sounds amazing. I'm kinda bummed yours didn't work out because of the salt!

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