so i have a math/cooking question?

Question

so Im making the turkey for thanksgiving, i have the turkey in the fridge de-thawing, and i have my brine recipe all ready to go. but it calls for 1/2 ounce ground cloves and 1/2 ounce ground ginger - how do i measure that out? here is the brine recipe:

Wolfgang’s Brined Roast Turkey
Brine:
1 gallon water
1/2 ounce ground cloves
1/2 ounce ground ginger
4 ounces cracked black peppercorns
12 bay leaves
1 pound kosher salt
24 ounces honey
24 ounces maple syrup

1 (10-pound) whole fresh turkey

In a large stockpot, bring the water, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves and salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and stir in the honey and maple syrup until well blended. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.



http://bloghungry.typepad.com/blog/2007/11/wolfgangs-brine.html

Answer 1

1/2 oz = 1 tablespoon or 3 teaspoons

Answer 2

It's not an exact science, you don't need to be all that precise. Roughly a tablespoon should be fine, that's roughly equivalent to a half ounce. Personally, I don't mind the idea of the ginger, but the cloves make me shudder. I don't like cloves in/on ham, either, but that's just a personal preference. Since it's such a small amount, I probably wouldn't mind it. You could go with the simpler brine he links to, that he'd used previous years, it looks a little easier, and has whole cloves rather than ground.

Good luck with your turkey, and happy Thanksgiving!

Answer 3

They're assuming that you have scales. My best advice is to eyeball it based on the spice container. If the box/jar has two ounces of cloves, use one quarter of it. It's what I do when I come across that, since I don't have scales.

Answer 4

Supermarkets have scales you can weigh when you buy the cloves and ginger.