How to Cook Holiday Roasts & Birds

An illustrated step-by-step guide to roast turkey, goose, Cornish hens, ham, prime rib, and leg of lamb

There's no trick to producing succulent roasts if you know the basics. How to Cook Holiday Roasts & Birds provides those and more in a succinct tutorial. In fewer than 100 pages it offers illustrated, step-by-step instructions for roasting turkey, goose, Cornish hens, hams, prime ribs, and leg of lamb--recipes, tips, and information that all cooks can use.

The roasting cook's goal is to maximize flavor, texture, and moisture, and the book begins with a detailed discussion of how this is best accomplished. It explores temperature issues (proper temperature depends on the nature of the roast) and provides useful equipment council. Exemplary instruction on roasting the birds and meat mentioned above follows, plus recipes for the likes of Bread Stuffing with Sausage, Pecans, and Dried Apricots, as well as formulas for a range of gravies and glazes. Throughout, underlying techniques are explored and illustrated (goose preparation is one of several excellently depicted procedures), and sensible tips abound (cook dressings separately and you optimize the possibility of a perfectly done bird).

A true primer, the book is part of the Cook's Illustrated Library series. Like the magazine, the books are dedicated to presenting tried-and-perfected recipes and cooking techniques in a concise, approachable way. --Arthur Boehm