Why it works: Thyme and marjoram match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,225 recipes. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. 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 the turkey
Prepare the turkey by plucking and cleaning it carefully, avoiding the gall bag.
Remove the feet. Draw out the sinews.
Cut off the head and neck, leaving enough neck skin to fold over the back.
Singe the turkey. Kosher the turkey.
Place the legs in boiling water for about 10 minutes to remove rough skin.
Stuff and truss
Mix the stuffing ingredients.
Fill the breast of the turkey with the stuffing.
Sew the neck skin over the back.
Press the legs close to the breast. Tie them with twine.
Tuck the wings under the back.
Cut a slit in the apron. Pull the nose through.
Grease a piece of paper. Tie the paper over the turkey.
Roast and serve
Place the turkey in the oven at 400°F (200°C) with plenty of fat in the pan.
Baste often to prevent the bird from becoming dry.
About 15 minutes before serving, remove the paper.
Dredge flour over the breast. Baste again until golden brown.
Remove the strings before serving.
Garnish with sausages and boiled smoked beef if desired.
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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Thyme + marjoramtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,225 recipes
Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).
-
Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Parsley + marjoramtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,979 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Marjoram + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turkey (in the method)
- Is the main cooked item, providing the meat that the stuffing and fat are served with.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb and hold the fat and herbs in the stuffing, giving it a moist, soft texture.
- Marrow or dripping
- Adds fat that keeps the bird moist and helps the skin brown in the oven.
- Eggs
- Bind the stuffing ingredients together so they hold their shape when cooked.
The step that matters
Baste often during roasting. Turkey breast is lean and dries out easily in dry oven heat. Regular basting with the fat in the pan keeps the surface moist and helps it brown evenly.
“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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