Ina Garten Just Shared This Genius Tip for Keeping Turkey Tender & Juicy

Plus, how she brines her turkey for extra crispy skin.

Reviewed by Dietitian Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD

Ina Garten has thrown her fair share of dinner parties and holiday gatherings, learning quite a few lessons along the way. So, it makes sense that the Today show invited none other than the Barefoot Contessa herself to dish about her menu and answer some top Thanksgiving-related questions in preparation for the holiday.

Garten shared some of her best tips—from how to make ruby-red cranberry martinis to kick off the festivities, to the shortcut ingredients she uses to make her favorite Thanksgiving dish of bread pudding (pre-cut squash and stuffing mix)—each of which is geared at helping to make your dinner prep fun and simple.

Arguably the most important questions host Savannah Guthrie asked were about turkey. “Turkey can be dry. How do you get a juicy turkey, Ina?” Garten has a few ways she achieves a perfectly cooked turkey—and one of her tricks is pure genius.

About an hour before dinner is served, she covers the bottom of her serving platter with gravy and places the sliced turkey directly over top. “The gravy keeps everything moist and flavorful. Cover it with foil, put it in the oven, reheat it and it’s fabulous.”

How clever! It’s such a simple trick, we’re surprised we hadn’t thought of it before. This strategy works especially well for those who want to cook the turkey earlier in the day, to free-up oven space for all those tasty side dishes.

Recipe to try: Turkey Stock & Gravy

We can’t wait to try Garten’s genius gravy trick. Before trying it for yourself, be mindful that guests may have dietary restrictions like gluten intolerance or Celiac’s disease. You can try gluten-free gravy made without all-purpose flour, or maybe reheat and serve some slices of turkey on a separate platter.

You’ll also want to ensure your serving platter is oven-safe. If not, place the gravy and turkey in the oven on a sheet pan, covered with aluminum foil. Heat up some gravy separately in the microwave or on the stove. Once everything is reheated, pour some hot gravy over the serving platter, place the hot carved turkey on top and serve immediately.

Garten’s turkey tips didn’t stop there. The segment continued with Garten sharing even more strategies to achieve the perfect bird.

Guthrie went on to ask, “Wet or dry brine?” Garten says dry brining is her preferred method, since a wet brine requires “you to take everything out of your refrigerator to fit a huge pot of water in there.” She rubs her turkey generously (inside and out) with lemon zest, thyme and salt. But be sure to rinse your turkey well and pat dry before cooking, so it’s not too salty. Plus, patting it dry means that, “when you uncover it at the last minute [to continue baking], it’s nice, crisp and browned.” Of course, before brining at all, you may want to check for existing brine in the packaged turkey to prevent oversalting.

Garten’s combination of salt, lemon zest and thyme is similar to our Herb-Roasted Turkey, though we use less salt in our recipe than what you would in a dry brine.

Leave it to Ina Garten to wow us with another one of her smart tips. If the beautiful presentation of sizzling-hot turkey over a steamy gravy platter doesn't impress your guests this Thanksgiving, leave it to the super juicy and tender meat to keep them satisfied.

Keep reading: 6 Mistakes That Ruin Gravy (And How to Fix Them)

Read the original article on Eating Well.