Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Bates County, University of Missouri Extension

All families have a favorite method of preparing their turkey to perfection. One method is brining the turkey, which is a sort of pre-soak method that helps assure a moist, tasty turkey.

According to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, brining is a method of steeping the turkey in a strong solution of salt and water. Other ingredients can be added for flavor, but salt is what makes the turkey moist. Salt helps dissolve the protein in muscle, and salt and protein reduce moisture loss during cooking.

The whole turkey has to be completely submerged in the brining solution. For this reason, many people only brine their turkey when they are cooking one that weighs less than 14 pounds. It’s hard to find a container that will hold a turkey larger than that.

For the instructions on brining and then roasting your turkey, see the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut375.htm

photo credit  -U.S. Department of Agriculture