Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Turkey, Roast
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Truss the turkey firmly by tying a string across the back and securing it with a needle and twine.
Fasten a sheet of buttered paper onto the breast of the turkey.
Roast
Place the turkey at a distance from a bright fire, gradually moving it closer while basting it frequently.
Remove the paper from the turkey.
Dredge the turkey lightly with flour.
Baste the turkey with melted butter.
Cook the turkey until it is nicely browned and well-frothed.
Serve
Serve the turkey with brown gravy and bread sauce.
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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Turkey + breadtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together822 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Turkey + meattop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together540 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Turkey + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,592 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turkey
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooked whole until its surface browns and crisps.
- Butter
- Basting fat that moistens the surface and promotes browning as it cooks.
- Flour
- Dusted on the surface, it helps the skin brown and form a light crust.
- Good brown gravy
- Adds savoury moisture and richness to the carved turkey at serving.
- Bread sauce
- Adds a soft, thickened, mildly flavoured sauce that complements the lean meat.
The step that matters
Basting while moving the turkey closer to the fire. Moving the turkey closer gradually and basting often keeps the surface from scorching before the interior cooks. Frequent basting with melted butter keeps the skin moist and promotes even browning.
“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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