8 million turkeys will be thrown in the trash this Thanksgiving

>Is everyone eating overdone turkey or what? It shouldn't be dry or flavorless.

"Dry and flavorless" is exactly how I'd describe traditional American Thanksgiving turkey, in all my years of experience. Yes, for some reason, Americans apparently don't know how to cook it properly, but it is a very, very common thing.

> We don’t have to accept all that death and waste for a dry, flavorless bird no one likes.

The author should learn how to cook. At one point in European history, eating turkey on Christmas was reserved for only royalty. The Windsors have eaten turkey every Christmas since 1850 for a reason. It is a delicious bird.

If people would get away from the Norman Rockwell presentation of a whole bird, and spatchcock the thing instead, it will take less time to cook and cook more evenly. Salting it and leaving it uncovered in the fridge for a day or two helps to retain moisture in the meat. People need to use a good meat thermometer, and understand that killing pathogens is a combination of temperature and time[1]. The recommended 165 degrees basically means if pathogens are exposed to that temperature, they're instantly dead. However, if held at a lower temperature for a certain amount of time, they will also be killed.

[1]https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-s...

Spatchcocking turkey was a huge discovery for me when I lived in Japan. I didn't have an oven, but I did have an electric rotisserie, and the spatchcocked turkey came out perfectly.

(Sadly they don't make that rotisserie anymore, it was very popular among my friends).

Most Americans don't know how to roast meat so that it doesn't wind up dry, and they are probably following the instructions that are on the packaging.

Turkey is good. I eat it throughout the year.