This Month's Fare

Brining Makes a Turkey to be Grateful For

More and more cooks are making brining part of their holiday cooking plans. Once you’ve tasted a brined bird, you’ll know why. Brining adds a succulence and savor that will have your family asking for second helpings—in fact, you may need to get a bigger bird if you want turkey for sandwiches the next day!

How does brining work? When you put your turkey in the brine, the salt starts to break down the muscle fibers, making them more tender and less chewy when cooked. (But be careful—if you leave meat or poultry in the brine too long, the texture could turn mushy.) The salt also causes the proteins in the muscle to absorb and retain water in their cells. Some of the moisture evaporates during cooking, but enough remains to make your turkey moist and juicy.

Kikkoman’s Savory Turkey Brine takes the basic salt-and-water formula and adds herbs like dried sage, celery seed and thyme; sugar for a beautifully browned skin; and a touch of Kikkoman Soy Sauce to enhance the turkey’s natural umami.

Here are some “dos and don’ts” for a perfect holiday turkey:

• Put your turkey in the refrigerator to brine, not at room temperature. If your bird is too big for your fridge, place it in a cooler with ice packs, replacing them as needed to keep the temperature below 40°F.
• If your turkey is frozen, thaw it completely in the refrigerator before brining.
• Rinse poultry well after removing it from the brine solution and pat it dry. For extra crispy skin, set the turkey, uncovered, on a rack in the fridge to air-dry overnight.
• If you are not ready to cook at the end of the brining time, remove turkey from brine, rinse and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Use stainless steel, glass or food-grade plastic containers for brining, and never use any kind of soft, porous plastic container that has been used for non-food items.
• Remember that the longer you brine the stronger—and saltier—the flavor will be. And because the brine has already seasoned the turkey, do not salt it again before cooking.
• Brining adds moisture to a turkey, so even if you overcook it by a few degrees it will still be juicy.

And we've made it easy for you and your friends to save on the key ingredient that will enhance your bird’s natural umami with our new 'Share and Save' Soy Sauce coupon. Click here to print a $1 off Soy Sauce coupon, or simply share it with 3 friends, or post it on your Facebook page and you will receive a Buy One Get One Free coupon.