"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." –John 16:33

Tag: Bryan

Results from Igor’s turkey cooking theory

Day 95 of 1000

Results from Igor's turkey cooking theoryWe used Igor’s temperature differential minimization technique to cook our turkey this Thanksgiving and came out perfect.  I would like to say that the results were conclusive, but I do not think I can.  It is going to take a whole lot more experimentation.  Here are the reasons:

  1. Our previous method was good enough to get our turkey right about 75% of the time anyway.  This might have just been one of those times.
  2. Eric’s pressure differential method was so appealing that we could not resist adding it to the mix.  Given that the control for this experiment was a method that managed neither temperature nor pressure differential, we are going to have to get help from Eric next year to design an experiment that helps us determines what percentage of the contribution to perfectly cooked, moist result was contributed by minimized temperature differential and what percentage was contributed by was contributed by minimized pressure differential.
  3. Now that we know that gravy comes from gravitational differential equalization, we tried to apply that theory, too, but were not sure we got it right.  Bryan’s level of technical sophistication on this topic far surpasses anything the rest of understand.  We will probably need several years of lessons from Bryan before we can get enough of a grasp of the concept to even be able to think about how to design an experiment to optimize it.

Stay tuned. I am going to try to develop a collaboration on this for next year.

How gravy got its name

Blind babyIn the Igor’s turkey cooking theory post, Bryan made a comment that was truly educational.  In spite of the fact that he handicaps himself by using a Mac, his technical skills are so finely honed that none of the rest of us can do anything more than compete for second place.  I just had to share this comment about how gravy got its name.  It helps to read the post and all the comments to get some context.  You have to admit we are out of our league, Eric.  Here is the comment in all its glory.

I see you’ve covered the temperature and pressure differential’s, but you’ve left out the most critical: gravitational differential!  Immediately upon removal from the oven, the turkey, while still in it’s pressure differential sack, and before the temperature differential returns, should be inverted 180º (as in orientation, not temperature), for several minutes while cooling, to overcome the gravitational forces on the moisture that existed while cooking.  Any moisture that remains in the pressure differential sack, after the aforementioned gravitational differential reversal, becomes gravy.  (NOW you know why they call it gravy.)

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