It’s that special time of year again and you know what it means: Your family is waiting for a perfectly cooked turkey on the table. Maybe you’re used to and can cook it with your eyes closed, or maybe it’s your first time and you desperately want to impress the in-laws. Either way, there are plenty of tips, tricks, and most importantly, tools that can help you prepare the perfect Christmas dinner.
Turkish Mode: Enabled
No, that’s not the name of a Thanksgiving food zombie (although that’s a good candidate for a title). We’re talking about how the GE Profile line of smart ovens, including the Monogram, CAFE, and more, recently got a wireless upgrade that takes the guesswork out of cooking the perfect turkey.
The turkey mode makes all the necessary calculations depending on the size and weight of the poultry to ensure that it cooks at 170 degrees without losing juice and flavor. If your oven has an LCD screen, you can set a Thanksgiving-themed background to maintain a festive mood, and when the turkey is done cooking, your oven will tell you the sound of a turkey….
How about roasting it on the grill?
Almost everyone cooks turkey in the oven. If you want to change things up a bit, try roasting the turkey. You can cook most Thanksgiving dinner on the grill. You do not know how to do it? In fact, Traeger has published a calendar for this special occasion to help you choose the right time to prepare your festive meal.
If you are concerned about temperature control, the Traeger Ironwood 885 Pellet Grill might be the right choice for you. This wifi connected device allows you to monitor and control the temperature level, even if you are not nearby. You can also access over 1,600 recipes from the app if you’re not sure how to cook something.
Use a smart meat thermometer
Undercooked meat is dangerous, we all know that. Unfortunately, many people believe that the key to avoiding food poisoning in their families is to overcook the turkey until it is dry and well done. A smart meat thermometer can help.
These thermometers are similar to traditional meat thermometers in that they are inserted directly into the turkey. You can monitor the temperature from your cell phone and set alerts when cooking is finished.
Don’t worry about overcooking the turkey, as you can take it out of the oven when the internal temperature has reached the desired level of doneness. This will give you an absolutely wonderful turkey.
Let Alexa guide you in your recipes
You can’t expect everyone to know how to cook an entire Thanksgiving menu. The good news is that you don’t have to. If you have an Echo Show, you can ask Alexa to find recipes for you and guide you through them.
There are plenty of Alexa skills that give you access to hundreds of recipes, like the Allrecipes skill or even Alexa links to the Food Network. Learn how to make the perfect mashed potato or pumpkin pie. If you’re in doubt about any of the steps in the process, Alexa can convert measurements, set timers, and more.
Use sous-vide to make your kitchen foolproof
If the thought of cooking a meal terrifies you but you can’t avoid work, consider using a videotape. These devices allow you to cook food in an airtight bag in water and enhance the flavours. Most importantly, it is almost impossible to overcook a meal with sous-vide.
The Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker connects to your mobile phone via Bluetooth or wifi. The built-in smart temperature control prevents food from overcooking, and an alarm goes off to let you know it’s ready.
It takes pressure off cooking and can be used to prepare foods other than meat; In fact, using sous vide is a great way to prepare delicious vegetables without using a lot of oil.
Slow cooker: set it up and forget about it.
A slow cooker has its place in every kitchen. When you’re trying to cook half a dozen different things at the same time, you can add ingredients for a particular dish and set the timer. The device alerts you when the food is ready. In the meantime, you can forget about it and focus on something else.
A smart slow cooker can help you prepare for Thanksgiving. You can cook everything from turkey to popular mashed potatoes, all while adjusting the cooking time, temperature and more from your phone.
Best of all, you don’t need wifi to use it, so if someone unplugs the router to charge their phone, the slow cooker will still work.
Try a smart shaker
Let’s be honest, some family members tolerate themselves better with a strong drink. When a faraway family gets together for the holidays, you might just need a little mojito to get you through the day…or they’re the ones who need it, but you don’t have time to cook and run the bar.
The homemade cocktail shaker allows you to prepare drinks with the push of a button. You can focus on the next meal instead of listening to your uncle explain exactly how he likes his drinks. Devices such as the Keurig Drinkworks or the Bartesian Home Bar make it easy to prepare a drink by combining the capsule with the desired mixture and the liquor of your choice.
Holidays are stressful for many reasons, but cooking shouldn’t be one of them. Let these technical turkey tips simplify the food preparation process so you can spend more time with your family and less time in the kitchen.
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