Name: To Boil a Turkey
Ingredients: 1 plump hen turkey, moderate size; water; coarse sea salt

To Boil a Turkey

Ingredients

1 plump hen turkey, moderate size
water
coarse sea salt

Directions

Prepare

Select a plump hen turkey and pick and draw it carefully, avoiding the gall bladder.
Singe the turkey with a writing paper and remove the head and neck.
Cut through the skin around the first joint of the legs and draw them off by fastening the feet to a strong hook and pulling the bird away.
Wash the turkey thoroughly and wipe it dry.

Boil and cook

Fill a large pot with water, add coarse sea salt, and bring to a boil.
Submerge the turkey in the boiling water and cook until fully done.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

What each ingredient does

Turkey: Is the main protein, becoming tender and firm as its proteins set during boiling.
Water: Carries heat evenly around the bird and keeps the meat moist while it cooks.

“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.