Forgot A Thanksgiving Roasting Rack? Use Aluminum Foil
Thanksgiving can be expensive. Thanks to the worst food inflation in 40 years, consumers are going to have to shell out a lot of money on ingredients for their big meal this year. According to USA Today, the September 2022 price index showed that Thanksgiving items like turkey, butter, frozen vegetables, and dairy all had their highest-ever annual price increases, and that's not even including all of the non-food items you need to buy to pull off a perfect holiday feast.
But even though store shelves are lined with expensive gadgets and fancy doodads that allegedly make cooking easier, the fact is that a lot of these products didn't even exist 50 years ago. And luckily, there are a lot of Thanksgiving dinner hacks you'll wish you knew sooner that can help save you time and money. For instance, what are you supposed to do if you don't have a roasting rack for your turkey?
If you don't have a gigantic roasting pan that came with a rack, or if you're using one of the large aluminum pans from the grocery store, you're not out of luck. Aluminum foil — or vegetables — can create an easy DIY roasting rack for turkey, without having to shell out for any expensive cookware.
Why do turkeys need a roasting rack?
Before you wonder if you should start panicking over having a roasting rack or not, you might want to know why you'd use a roasting rack in the first place. Basically, a roasting rack elevates your turkey (or any other roast) in the pan, allowing hot air to circulate around it (via Food Network). That can lead to more even cooking, and to crispier Turkey skin. To create a DIY roasting rack, take a few lengths of aluminum foil, then crumple and twist them into long strands. Form the foil into coils in your roasting pan, then put the turkey on top before placing the whole thing in the oven.
What if you don't have foil? You can also place your turkey on a bed of chopped vegetables, like onions, potatoes, and carrots. This method won't help crisp up the skin on the bottom of the turkey as much, as the veggies will release moisture as they cook. However, the extra flavor in the bottom of the pan with the veggie method can also lead to better drippings to use as the base for your Thanksgiving gravy. America's Test Kitchen also says you can use cookie cutters to elevate your turkey in the pan. Whether you opt for foil, veggies, or cookie cutters, these easy Thanksgiving hacks prove that you don't need to buy a roasting rack this year.