Used to swear by the 'pencil test' for turkey doneness... until I ruined Thanksgiving 2021

I was so convinced that sticking a pencil into the thigh was a foolproof method passed down from my grandma in Boston. Last year, I pulled a 16-pound bird out of the oven, the pencil slid in smooth, and everyone got a nice side of salmonella for dinner. My cousin ended up in the urgent care and now I strictly use a digital probe thermometer. Anyone else have a cooking "trick" that turned out to be total garbage?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryf6211d ago

Ditch that grandma trick and check out how the National Turkey Federation actually tests doneness. They use a digital thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and thigh, not some pencil. The pencil test just checks if the meat is soft, not if it's hit a safe temp like 165°F. I learned the hard way with a chewy roast chicken that passed the wooden skewer test but was still raw near the bone. Those old school methods worked when people cooked birds way longer and didn't care about food safety as much. The only thing that matters is the temperature reading from a probe, full stop.

samwalker11d ago

You ever try brining the bird? After my own thermometer disaster I started wet brining my turkeys and it changed everything. The salt helps the meat stay juicy even if you accidentally pull it a few degrees early. I now set my probe alarm for 155 in the breast and let carryover heat finish the job while it rests. Comes out perfect every time without that dry chalky texture people get from chasing a hard 165. Have you adjusted your target temp based on carryover cooking?