Why it works: Turkey and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,636 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Roast Turkey
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Season the turkey with salt and pepper.
Fill the body with dressing and the crop with dressing.
Roast
Place the turkey in the pan, back upwards.
Dredge a little flour over the turkey and add 1 tablespoon of flour to the pan.
Add enough water to make gravy and stir well.
Baste the turkey frequently while roasting.
When browned, turn the turkey over for even cooking.
Make the gravy and serve
If the gravy boils away, add 1 cup of hot water and more flour if needed.
Stir well and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes before serving hot.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Turkey + peppertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,636 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Pepper + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Turkey + flourtop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together963 recipes
Shared aroma: eugenol (clove, spicy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turkey
- Forms the main roast; its browned surface develops flavour as it cooks.
- Flour
- Dredged on the bird and stirred into the pan, it thickens the gravy and aids browning.
The step that matters
When browned, turn the turkey over for even cooking.. The side facing the pan or heat cooks faster than the rest, so turning helps the bird cook evenly and prevents parts from drying out before others are done.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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