Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Roast Turkey
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the turkey
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
Sprinkle the turkey lightly with salt.
Brush the turkey with melted butter.
Sprinkle the turkey with flour, or place strips of fat bacon over the breast.
Pour boiling water and butter or drippings into the pan.
Roast and serve
Baste every 15 minutes with the liquid in the pan.
Roast an 8‑lb turkey for about 2 to 3 hours, or a 12‑lb turkey for about 3 to 4 hours.
Serve with Brown Gravy and Cranberry Jelly or Sauce, garnished with sausage, celery tips, or curled celery and parsley.
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Turkey + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,592 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Turkey + flourtop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together963 recipes
Shared aroma: eugenol (clove, spicy).
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
- Is the main cooked protein, with its size setting the roasting time.
- Butter
- Adds fat that promotes browning and a rich flavor on the skin.
- Flour
- Coats the breast to help the skin brown and crisp.
- Drippings
- Adds fat and flavor to the pan liquid used for basting.
The step that matters
Basting every 15 minutes. Each time the oven door opens, heat escapes and the roasting time lengthens. Spooning pan liquid over the bird 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.
More roast turkey recipes
You might also like
Turkey Soup71 recipes
Turkey Stuffing26 recipes
Turkey Dressing24 recipes
Turkey Patties12 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.