About.com - Brine

The most basic process of brining is to take approximately 1 cup of table salt (no iodine or other additives) to 1 gallon of water. Another way to measure this concentration is with a raw egg. The ideal brine has enough salt to float a raw egg. You will need enough brine to completely submerge the meat without any part being out of the liquid. Some items might need to be weighed down to stay under. Brine meat for about a hour per pound. Remove from brine (don't reuse the brine), inse to remove any excess salt and cook.

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa112000b.htm

Cooking TweetTip - Mashed Potatoes

#cooking #tip - Mashed potatoes - Use only enough water to cover potatoes and boil with a cheesecloth sachet of the skins for max flavor.

Food Myth - Slow Roasting Turkey is Unsafe

The USDA says “(When roasting turkey), Set your oven temperature no lower than 325 °F.”

A food study (http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Turkey.pdf) did a study and proved that slow roasting turkey is COMPLETELY SAFE as bacteria in turkey is killed at temperatures above 130.

Tip on Slow Roasting Turkey: Roast at 275 until internal temperature of 170 thigh and 160 breast (breast side down halfway). Cool down for 1 hour tented. Roast breast side up at 500 for 10 minutes to brown the skin.

Article - Turkey Tips

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/smoked-thanksgiving-turkey-recipe-technique_b_778299.html

7) When the internal temp of the breast passes 160°F, drain the cavity into the gravy. Many cookbooks say you should take it up to 170°F or 180°F, but that temp is guaranteed to produce meat as dry as cardboard. If the temp is 160°F in the center of the breast with an accurate digital thermometer when you take it off, it will rise another 5°F if you let it rest about 15 minutes. At 165°F in the breast it is safe according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). At that temp, the thighs are likely to be at 170°F or higher. They can handle it because they are juicier and slightly more fatty. Don't worry if it is slightly pink. Smoke can turn meat pink and, according to USDA, slight pink is OK (see the sidebar above).

Vietnamese Basic - Garlic, oil, fish sauce

from "gourmet's diary of a foodie - india and vietnam"

good starter sauce for stirfry, soup, anything

1. oil
2. a. (optional chilies)
3. minced garlic
4. cook 30 sec til fragrant
5. half cup fish sauce
6. reduce to half and start stirfry with meats, veggie, etc...