I will be sure to pass on those excellent suggestions to the rest of my family as I sit like a lump on the couch, being served and watching whatever football game is on. There is some benefit to being the elder male in the family; I have become my father and it ain't bad. Happy Thanksgiving; say a prayer for our troops serving in combat.....Bill

There's still the myth out there that a breast is automatically dry. The main reason a turkey breast turns out dry is people insist on overcooking it. (And yes, I know we're risking being chastised by a certain person for using the "b" word so much here but that's the way it is baby.) Let's talk some facts here: Dark meat needs to be cooked to 180°. Breast is done at 160°. Think about it. If you cook that breast until it hits 180° what do you expect will happen? Add to that when people cook it longer to get that mahogany color to the breast, good gawd, don't blame the meat for the cook overcooking it! I see no need to brine a good turkey breast. And *never* brine a "Butterball", Kosher or other "enhanced" bird since they're already so full of salt you don't want anymore. To me, brining tends to make the meat mushy. I like a firmness to meat. I still have teeth and like to use them. I don't need everything the consistency of oatmeal yet. Many like to dry salt birds. I'd guess it preferable to brining though I'd probably use a rub if I were going to mess with it. I don't find my turkey to be underseasoned at all. I know today the typical thing is overseason everything but I tend to go for the natural flavors rather than salt, sugar and chemicals. Many people like roasting bags to assist in cleanup. A covered roaster or Dutch oven works well too. Once going to the Nesco, I've never looked back so I don't even try them anymore. Be aware though that covered roasting will keep more moisture in so the skin isn't going to crisp up as much. Covering it or bagging it changes from truly "roasting" the meat to partly steaming or even braising the meat, not that it's bad, but it *is* different. If that's a big thing you need to take other steps or use a different method. I use the Nesco roaster and never have a dried out breast. Even if I overcook it a bit the Nesco is forgiving enough it's no problem. Many like the bags. But just using an oven works fine as long as you use a thermometer. I set the alarm at 155° and shut it down when the alarm goes off. An average breast takes 2-2.5 hours as I recall. I tend to use lower heat than some. America's Test Kitchen has a nice video showing how they oven roast turkey parts. Note a couple things: First they cut off the bottom rib bones. I did this last time and it was a PITA to do but I felt it was much easier to cook it it was sure a lot easier to work with when done. Also they do start it upside down, but they said they do that to protect the breast while the dark meat is cooking too. I've never flipped it myself. No need to. And it's not convenient to do it anyway. They also roasted at 275°. Now the food police are shaking in their boots about this but watch the video and they explain why it's better, plus keep in mind you're talking parts instead of a whole turkey too. Here is a link that might be useful: Slow Roasted Turkey & Gravy using Turkey Parts

Oh anne_ct, I am disappointed! I was looking forward to hearing how it turned out in the microwave for future reference! Expect you to do ONE little thing and there you go! Sheesh! ;) Glad you enjoyed it as best you could. That's one reason I dislike Butterball and all the fuel-injected birds. Too salty and I find it's almost always mushy from the salt slime. And they cost more too because of the name. Not for me. I've thought many times about picking up one of the boneless breasts from Aldi. Slightly spendy but should be easy. Seems to me they're 3# for about $9. FWIW, Aldi and Trader Joe's are only kissing cousins. Two brothers owned the Aldi chain and got into a fight in the 60s over whether to sell cigarettes. Because of this disagreement, they split the company and literally, the world. They have lines drawn up and they don't cross them. One brother's division owns Aldi Sud which is the division of the Aldi chain in the US and the other brother owned Aldi Nord and his division bought Trader Joe's. Both brothers are now dead. There was/is some sharing of advertising, some cooperation on purchasing and things but the Aldi and Trader Joe's stores are very different. Don't expect to see more than one or two items the same in both stores. Very different operations. It's an interesting history of a single family store turned global.

Lots of good info there! Of course, the genius of the antiquated Gardenweb format is that we keep answering the same questions over and over, and our answers change slightly over time as we learn new things and refine our techniques. I've pretty much given up stuffing the bird. It affected cooking time too much, took too long at the wrong time in my schedule, and, probably from using the wrong kind of bread-things, wasn't coming out the way my mother's did. Before I start, I clean the sink area really well, and unwrap in the sink. It's the best way for me to contain potential contamination. Before touching the turkey, I put on close fitting food service gloves. They also help remind one not to touch anything else, but they also keep my hands warm handling that big, cold bird. The giblets go in a prep bowl to be addressed later. The turkey is inspected well for feathers and pinfeathers, which are removed, and I make sure the cavity is clean. Since I'm going to be scrubbing down the sink anyway, I do rinse the bird. It seems to like it, whereas the chickens I get from the butcher's case don't seem to care about bathing. Then it's open the trash can and blot dry with paper towels, which go right into said trash can without touching anything. The turkey goes on a large food service board I keep for the purpose (meats) and which can go in the dishwasher. I cut a long branch of tarragon into turkey sized lengths and put them in the cavity, sometimes with a lemon or orange which has had its zest removed to the desserts or similar. My birds are usually about 22 lbs. so there's plenty of room. I also season inside and out, usually with a blend of salt and pepper, and whatever else takes my fancy. It's more habit than anything. I don't think it really affects the flavor of such a big bird. Sometimes I put chunked root vegetables in the bottom of the roaster (Le Creuset cast iron--wonderful "goose pot". I also have a silicone covered rack that goes in, then the turkey. A bottle of inexpensive but palatable white wine goes over the top. Usually, my turkey is too big for the lid to go on, so I crimp the edges of a sheet of heavy duty foil and lay it on top like a blanket. Whenever I think of it--about once every hour or two--I baste the turkey, but mostly that lets me keep an eye on it. I figure the time by poundage and pull it out to rest for at least half an hour, then carve. It's always brown and gorgeous. People sneak into the kitchen and take pictures of it while its resting. I don't do anything special to achieve this, so am bemused by the reaction.