There are folks who swear by the turkey-in-a-bag cooking method*. It gives the cook a margin of error for producing a flavorful, juicy turkey that other methods don't.

The benefit of the bag is that it traps moisture and holds it close to the turkey, keeping it from drying out. Because of this you can cook the turkey at a higher temperature, shortening the cooking time by as much as 20 percent. You can also ignore any references in your recipe to basting or turning the turkey over.

The trade-off is that the skin will not be a crisp, satisfying brown, and only the most polite guests will "ooh" and "ahh" over your turkey when presented at the table. (Bag-cooked turkeys are often not presented at the table.)

We believe you can have it all - juicy meat and crispy skin - through brining, but it is admittedly a lot more work than unfolding a nylon bag. If you would like to try bagging your own turkey, here's a recipe that was formulated specially for this method: Juicy Oven-Bag Turkey.

*Note, we don't call this a "roasting" method, because you are essentially bake-steaming your turkey in a little isolation chamber in the oven.