Brined meat is more flavorful, more moist and has a larger margin of error when it comes to overcooking. The obvious application is for turkeys since turkey is notoriously dry and overcooked.

Don't limit your brined meat to turkey though. Brining works well on nearly all meats, particularly lean ones. Pork, chicken (and other fowl such as quail, Cornish hens and duck), rabbit and even lamb benefit from brining. I had a rack of lamb at Di Sopra cooked by Chef Kirk McClain in a honey rosemary brine that was the most amazing I have ever eaten - moist, tender and infused with a sweet, earthy, salted richness that put it over the top.

Your basic brine is water and salt. Other common ingredients are sugar, honey and a variety of herbs and spices. The meat needs to be fully submerged in the brine so you must pick a container that is large enough to hold both.

Some household items that are easy to use are: a cooler (my favorite because it is large enough to hold multiple turkeys or ducks), mixing bowls or large Tupperware.

Make sure you keep your brine and meat refrigerated since the meat is still raw.

If you are roasting the skin on a piece of meat that has been brined, you will want to dry the skin before cooking so it doesn't come out soggy. Pat the skin dry with a towel and leave uncovered for several hours in the fridge.

Brined meats cook faster than nonbrined meats, so begin to check your dish at about two-thirds of the cooking time as to avoid overcooking.

Basic brines

I use table salt for these recipes. If you use kosher salt or sea salt, you must adjust the amount. Generally 1½ cups kosher salt equals 1 cup table salt, but for preciseness you can weigh the salt - 10 ounces of kosher or sea salt equals 1 cup table salt.

Turkey brine

2 gallons of water

1 cup table salt

½ cup sugar

Brine your turkey for 12 hours to 2 days. Drain and dry. If you are deep-frying your turkey, you don't have to dry the skin very long, just enough so that it doesn't react violently when placed in hot oil.

High speed brine

Use this if you are short on time (relatively).

2 gallons water

2 cups table salt

½ cup sugar

Brine your turkey for 4-6 hours and cook. If you are roasting, cook the bird upside down since the dark meat has to come to a higher temperature than the breast meat. Then flip the bird over at the last minute to brown the breast skin. This results in much juicier breast meat and happier family members.

Chicken, Pork or Duck brine

1 quart water

¼ cup table salt

½ cup sugar or honey

Soak the meat for 1 hour per pound of meat.

On a personal note, if you have the will this Thanksgiving to try something new, I highly recommend deep-fried brined duck. It is one of my all-time favorites.

• Brady Deal works with Sysco Foodsand can be reached at deal.brady@sea.sysco.com.