Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast

Steps

1. Check that the turkey breast fits in your slow cooker with the lid closed. A 6-quart oval cooker fits most 6- to 7-pound breasts.
2. Scatter the onion, carrots and celery in the cooker and pour in the broth.
3. In a small bowl, mash the butter with the garlic powder, thyme, sage, paprika, salt and pepper.
4. Pat the turkey dry and rub the butter all over it, including under the skin where you can reach. Wash your hands.
5. Set the turkey breast side up on the vegetables.
6. Cover and cook on LOW. Start checking at 5 hours; most breasts take 5 1/2 to 7 hours.
   ⏱ Slow cook (LOW): 5 hr 30 min
7. Check the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone. It's done at 165°F (74°C). If not there yet, cover and check every 30 minutes.
8. For browner skin, move the turkey to a foil-lined sheet pan and

   broil (how to broil)

   Broil Cook or brown food with strong heat from the top of the oven, like an upside-down grill. 1. Move an oven rack so the food will sit 3 to 6 inches from the heat.2. Turn the broiler on and give it a few minutes to heat.3. Use a metal pan (never glass that isn't broiler-safe) and put the food in.4. Stay at the oven and check every minute; things go from brown to burnt fast.5. Turn the food if the recipe says to. Done when: The top is browned and bubbly or charred in spots, usually in 1 to 5 minutes. Safety: Don't use parchment or wax paper under the broiler; it can catch fire. Use foil or a bare pan.How to broil: mistakes to avoid

   6 inches from the heat until golden. Watch closely.
   ⏱ Broil: 4 min
9. Tent with foil and

   rest (how to rest)

   Rest Leave cooked meat, baked goods or dough alone for a while before you cut, slice or shape it. 1. Move meat to a board or plate as soon as it is done (a few degrees shy of target for big roasts; it keeps rising).2. Tent it loosely with foil if the kitchen is cool.3. Rest steaks and chops 5 minutes, roasts 15 to 20, a turkey 30.4. For dough, cover it so it doesn't dry out while it relaxes. Done when: Meat juices stay in when you slice; dough rolls out without springing back. Safety: Rest at room temperature for under an hour, then refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.How to rest meat and dough: mistakes to avoid

   before slicing.
   ⏱ Rest: 15 min
10. Strain (how to strain)

    Strain Pour food through a strainer to separate the liquid from the solids, or to make a sauce smooth. 1. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl or pot large enough to hold all the liquid.2. Pour slowly, so it doesn't overflow.3. Press the solids with the back of a ladle to get all the liquid out (unless the recipe wants a clear result).4. Throw away the solids or keep them, as the recipe says. Done when: The liquid is smooth with no bits; for clear broth, no cloudiness from pressing. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first. Ladle very full pots into the strainer rather than lifting them.How to strain sauces and stocks: mistakes to avoid

    the liquid in the cooker and use it for gravy.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• Never put a frozen turkey breast in a slow cooker; it stays in the unsafe temperature zone too long. Thaw it in the fridge for 2 days first.

Storage

Refrigerate sliced turkey within 2 hours, up to 4 days.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: carrots (September to March).