How to Get Perfect Skin (On Your Turkey, That Is)

There are so many great conversations on the Hotline -- it's hard to choose a favorite. But we'll be doing it every day leading up to Thanksgiving to spread the wealth of our community's knowledge -- and to help you host the least stressful Thanksgiving yet. No promises on the crazy relatives.

Today: We're revealing all of our secrets for getting perfect skin (on your turkey, that is). Tomorrow we'll share our top turkey tips. (Hint: It needs a rest. You probably do too.)

Perfectly golden, crisp skin: It's the best part of the bird. It's what makes you want to proudly present your turkey to a tableful of eager guests and carve your glorious bird while they all watch, eagerly anticipating their first bite. (Don't do that though. The carving at the table part. Carry the cooked bird around the room to show it off all you want, just take it back into the kitchen to carve it.) A flawlessly cooked bird with superb skin doesn't have to be a flight of fancy --this is the best advice we've feather seen:

The Pros Propose

• Nancy Harmon Jenkins recalls the best Thanksgiving turkey she ever had: "The skin was crisp, crunchy, sort of like crackling, while the meat on the inside, because it had been completely protected by the hot oil, was juicy and tender." She deep fried that turkey, but not in peanut oil. The secret was olive oil -- a cache of four-year-old olive oil. She says that the forgotten oil was "perfectly good oil, not at all rancid, though it had lost much (rather, all) of its youthful flavor and aroma." (If you're as intrigued by the versatility of olive oil as we are, you'll want to keep an eye out for her forthcoming book, Virgin Territory: Exploring the World of Olive Oil.)
• Chef Ken Oringer recommends putting herb butter under the skin and brushing duck fat all over the outside: "A lesser-known trick, but it makes all the difference! Also season with a lot of salt and pepper and keep basting, and you're on your way to a turkey for the books."
• Michael Ruhlman's secret to perfect skin involves a quick trip under the broiler to crisp everything up before serving.

Get a Golden Glow

• Sdebrango cranks the oven up to 450° F for the last 30 minutes to help the turkey brown.
• To avoid a blackened top and pale crevices, francesca and pierino suggest trussing the wings close to the body and basting the bird frequently.
• Don't worry too much if your bird's skin gets a little over-cooked and you end up with crispy wing tips -- be assured that some people, like creamtea, lust after these.

Tell us: What do you do to get perfect skin on your bird? 

Have you missed any of our Thanksgiving roundup of Burning Questions? Catch up now:

• The Definitive Pounds-Per-Person Guide to Turkey and Potatoes
• Everything You Need to Know About Brining
• How to Accommodate Guests with Special Diets and Stay Sane
• Solutions for Stuffing Slip-Ups
• The Essential Numbers: A Guide to Times and Temps for Cooking Your Bird

Photos by James Ransom