Food - News
The Thanksgiving Hack Lidia Bastianich Swears By
By JENNIFER MATHEWS
According to celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, brushing a Thanksgiving turkey with balsamic vinegar during the final 10 to 15 minutes of roasting will give it a deeply golden, more delicious looking skin. This tip is so reliable that the experts at Butterball use the ingredient in a glaze to give their turkeys an enviable skin.
Adding balsamic vinegar to the skin of the bird is especially helpful if you brine your turkey. While brining adds moisture to the turkey — which prevents the white meat from drying while the dark meat finishes cooking — the extra moisture can also prevent the skin from crisping and turning golden brown.
Along with a hot, dry oven, balsamic vinegar aids in achieving the Maillard Reaction — which is the science behind browning. Loaded onto a plate with mashed potatoes and stuffing, a perfectly browned and succulent Thanksgiving dinner is well worth the 365-day wait — and the food coma that follows.