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Taste of Home
Don't have a roasting pan? Thanksgiving is not lost! Grab that broiler pan that came with your oven and get to work.
Having worked in a number of test kitchens over the course of my career, I’ve learned almost nothing scares home cooks more than the idea of roasting the Thanksgiving turkey. I get it, for many it’s the centerpiece of the whole meal. Personally, I always focus on the pecan pie, especially if it’s laced with bourbon and loaded with chocolate.
But if you’re worried about the turkey, don’t fret! We’ve got tips on how to keep the turkey moist and flavorful—and what you can do if you forget to defrost the bird. What if, though, you don’t have all the tools you need for Thanksgiving like a roasting pan? You don’t need to worry another moment. You can grab that broiler pan that came with your oven and make an amazing centerpiece of a turkey.
The Benefits of a Broiler Pan
You’ve all heard the phrase, “use the right tool for the job” so naturally, it would seem logical the right tool to roast a turkey would be a roasting pan, right? Well, I disagree. First, most roasting pans are three to four inches deep but think of your turkey sitting in it. At least one-third to one-half of the turkey is shielded by the sides of the pan while the rest of the turkey is wide open to the oven. What does that mean? The part that’s more exposed tends to cook faster, and that’s usually the delicate breast meat. The part that are more protected by the pan are the thighs and legs. Since we like to cook the breast to no more than 165ºF but we like the legs and thighs between 170 and 175ºF, do you see the first problem?
I will argue the best tool for this job is the broiler pan that probably came with your oven. It has two pieces that fit together and the top piece has holes in it. The reason I like this is because when they are fitted together there is usually a lot of room between them, which you can fill up with lots of onions, carrots, celery and even the turkey neck. As the turkey cooks, the juices will drip down into the pan where the veggies will help flavor and protect the precious drippings from evaporating. This helps get you the most drippings for lots of homemade gravy. If you don’t have a broiler pan, grab a heavy-duty cookie sheet that has sides.
What this shallow pan also does is expose every part of the turkey to the heat of the oven. This ensures your legs and thighs are exposed to the same heat as the breast meat. The beauty of this is since the breast is much bigger than the legs and thighs, it will reach 165ºF at the same time the rest of the bird reaches 170ºF.
How to Roast Turkey with a Broiler Pan
Taste of Home
Step 1: Prep the Aromatics
Place 2 cups of chopped onions, 1 cup of chopped carrots and 1 cup of chopped celery in the bottom piece of your broiler pan. Add the neck and giblets, if desired. Cover with the top piece. If you’re using a rimmed cookie sheet, spread the veggies evenly across it.
Step 2: Season the Turkey
Place your thawed turkey on top of the broiler rack, or directly on top of the veggies if using a cookie sheet. Pat the skin dry and rub it with olive oil or vegetable oil. Oil helps you get beautiful golden brown crispier skin than you would get with butter. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper, both inside and out.
Step 3: Roast
Slide the turkey into the oven legs first. We do this because oven temps are usually warmer in the back of the oven. This helps the thighs get the higher heat they need. Start out at 425°F; this not only jump-starts the cooking but you’ll find the legs and thighs get extra crisp this way. After 40 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Step 4: Rest Before Carving
Remove the turkey from the oven when the internal temperature is five degrees below the desired doneness. All large items continue to cook after being removed from the oven. This is called carryover cooking. Taking it out of the oven before it reaches 165ºF helps ensure it doesn’t overcook or dry out.
Now that it’s out of the oven you want to let it sit on the cutting board for about 20 to 30 minutes before you even think about cutting it. If you slice it right after you take it out of the oven, all the juices will come pouring out and you’ll end up with pretty dry meat. Don’t worry, the turkey won’t cool down in that amount of time.
Step 5: Use Those Drippings
As your turkey is chilling out on the counter, now is the time to collect all the delicious pan drippings. Be careful, there may be a lot of hot liquid in the bottom of the pan. Pour the contents through a strainer, pressing out as much liquid from the vegetables as possible. This then is the base for your gravy.
For those of you who got a roasting pan as a wedding gift from your Great Aunt Edna, and you know she’s going to be looking for it when she comes over, don’t worry! You can use it to make all these delicious recipes.
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From the Farm
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Gather Together
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Turkey Trouble
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Take a Drumstick
At holiday feasts with family, no one needs to be shy about taking seconds. This snapshot comes from Bob Spring of Bellingham, Washington. “The photo is of my mom clowning around with the turkey leg. It was taken in 1939,” he says.
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Abbie Rowe, National Park Service. Harry S. Truman Library & Museum
Presidential Pardon
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Reminisce
1950s
Helping Hands
This 1952 ad for S.O.S. reminds Moms to get everyone in the family involved in preparing the big turkey dinner. And cleaning up will be so much easier with these magic scouring pads. Douglass Crockwell, a famous illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post, designed the heartwarming image.These tried-and-true cleaning tips actually work.
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Thanksgiving Parade
Like parades across the country, the Christmas parade in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 1952, starred the colorful balloon creations of Jean Gros. The parade featured more than 40 large balloons, including a smiling snowman.Learn incredible facts about the Macy's Day Parade.
Joan Hallford/Taste of Home
Holidays in a New Home
"This photo was taken in 1952, after my family had moved to Fort Worth, Texas. That is me on the left, with my dad and sister at Thanksgiving," says Joan Hallford.
Gordon Kellen/Reminisce
Better Days
“Our family moved to California in the spring of 1948, and for the next few years, things were rather tough,” says Gordon Kellen of Fontana, California. “But by Thanksgiving 1953, things had become a bit better, and for the first time ever, our 3-year-old daughter, Susan, saw a cooked turkey. She could hardly wait for the feast, which we all enjoyed.” Stretch your dollars with budget-friendly dinners that are big on taste.
Larry Miller/Reminisce
Generations Together
This 1953 scene is from Larry Miller of Muncie, Indiana. “Every Thanksgiving, three generations gathered at my folks’ house in Summitville,” he says, “and a group photo was a must. My sister Judy is at the center, our mother, Anna, is third from left, and I’m the handsome young man in back.” Serve these Thanksgiving dinner recipes to feed a crowd.
Kenneth J. Kwilosz/Reminisce
The Dynamic Duo
Ken Kwilosz’s dad, Rudolph, carves the turkey in their kitchen while Mom, Frances, oversees the operation in 1954. The family lived in Chicago, Illinois, at the time. These tips make it easy to carve a turkey.
Tom Huonker/Reminisce
Holiday Crafts
“My brother Paul waits by the table on Thanksgiving 1954 at our home in Elmira, New York. Our usual centerpiece, a wax turkey, holds the spot where the meat platter will sit. Mom had us make paper pilgrims and a log cabin to bide the hours while the turkey cooked.” Keep the kids entertained with easy fall crafts.
Ellen Baize/Reminisce
To Grandmother's House
Ellen Baize and her sister were thankful to be at Grandma’s for the holidays in 1955. “Besides cooking the scrumptious dinner, she made our jumpers,” Ellen writes from Fort Davis, Texas. Bring back memories with Grandma's best fall recipes.
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Thanksgiving in the Service
“In 1955, I was a private first class at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where specialties on the Thanksgiving menu included shrimp cocktail, candied sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie,” says Carl Gallagher of Haslett, Michigan. Check out more recipes to honor our troops in the military.
Lucille Duh/Reminisce
Baby's First Turkey
“On my son Mike’s first Thanksgiving, in 1955, he was hamming it up with his drumstick while his cousin, a month older, kept shying away from the camera,” writes Lucille Duh.This is when to start giving solid foods to your infant.
Phyllis Bebee/Reminisce
The Biggest Bird
“This picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day in 1956. My mother always cooked the biggest turkey she could find,” says Phyllis Bebee. “From the built-in buffet to the lazy Susan on the table, this picture depicts the wonderful 1950s.” These vintage colors are straight out of Mom's kitchen.
Barbara Mohr/Reminisce
Dressed for the Weather
Her eyes closed to the bright sun and her hands protected in a gigantic muff, Paula Mohr, now of Millington, Michigan, braves the brisk weather to pose next to the family’s Chevy on Thanksgiving in 1958. Her mother, Barbara, snapped the picture. These holiday recipes from the 1950s are worth trying today.
M.R. Stevens/Reminisce
A Special Gift
“In 1958, Thanksgiving was an especially happy day for the Stevens family living at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri,” relates M.R. Stevens. “Annemarie, 3, got her Thanksgiving turkey and a baby sister on the same day!”
Tom Huonker/Reminisce
Ready to Feast
“We gathered at the table just before eating in 1959 in Elmira, New York. I’m in the red-striped shirt between my maternal grandmother and my mother, Jean,” says Tom Huonker of Rochester, New York.
Marcia Petrick/Reminisce
Turkey Farmers
“In the late 1950s, I got the crazy idea to move my family from Nebraska to Oregon—which seemed like the wild west back then. I’d raised turkeys in Nebraska, so I bought a turkey ranch south of Portland. We raised about 20,000 birds a year!” said Marcia Petrick’s dad, Phil Snyder. We found delicious recipes straight from the farm.
Jean Dentler/Reminisce
1960s
Baking Disaster
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Ina Briggs/Reminisce
Mama's Recipes
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Ralph and Nancy Bell, pictured with their kids John, James and Martha in about 1965, retired to rural Washington to live closer to nature. They raised three turkeys for the holidays. But when the time came, Mom had a change of heart. “How can we possibly eat the turkeys that ran up to greet us every morning?” Nancy asked. So the family had Thanksgiving without a turkey.With these delicious vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes, you'll never miss the meat.
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Electric Knife
“Holiday tradition in our house meant that I carved the turkey. Here, getting directives from my wife, Joyce, I buzz into the bird with an electric knife—state of the art equipment in 1965,” says Bruce Thompson of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Check out these vintage kitchen tools Grandma couldn't cook without.
Reminisce
Soup Tradition
Else Wilson, the family chef, celebrated with her relatives at Thanksgiving around 1966.Vichyssoise, a cold potato soup, was a holiday tradition that the children weren't so sure about.Everyone will love these tasty Thanksgiving soups.
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Retro Kitchen Style
“Janet and Craig Hutchens, my niece and nephew, were ready to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner at their Aunt Bea’s house in Renton, Washington,” says Beatrice Bard of Enumclaw, Washington. Check out those 1960s drapes and knotty pine paneling.
Ann Marie Eberhart/Taste of Home
Thanksgiving at the Cabin
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Formerly Taste of Home’s Deputy Editor, Culinary, James oversaw the Food Editor team, recipe contests and Bakeable, and managed all food content for Trusted Media Brands. He has also worked in the kitchen of Williams-Sonoma and at Southern Living. An honor graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, James has traveled the world searching for great food in all corners of life.