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If preparing a Thanksgiving turkey by storing it overnight in a bathtub full of ice strikes you as strange, that's because you never heard of brining.

The process — soaking the bird for hours in saltwater and other flavorings while keeping it cool — is one of several increasingly popular trends in Thanksgiving cooking techniques and technology this year, say culinary store owners.

Sales of brining bags have doubled since last year, said Matthew Segura, co-owner of Now We're Cooking at 5901 Wyoming Blvd. N.E., but the turkey-storing, clear sacks aren't the only product commanding customer attention.

"Silicone," said Nancy Herring, a co-owner of the store, "is the hottest thing going."

There are silicone pie crust shields, basting brushes, oven rack covers, rolling pins and baking sheets. Silicone thread replaces string for sewing up a stuffed turkey.

The products have proven popular because food doesn't stick to silicone's rubbery surface, making it easy to clean, Herring said. It can also accommodate high temperatures.

But it's the durability of silicone basting brushes that won over Claus Hjortkjaer, the owner and chef of the French restaurant Le Caf‚ Miche.

"Normally, we use a paint brush or nylon brush," he said. "They all clog up after a while. They get ugly. But the silicone . . . you can wash that thing a thousand times and it still works out all right."

However, another bit of cooking technology pointed out by Herring — a thermometer that sits in the oven with a turkey and sends temperature readings wirelessly to a monitor — fails to pique Hjortkjaer's interest.

"I'm old-fashioned," he said. "I open the oven door, pull the tray out, stick the thermometer in and read it."

Segura said the wireless gauges are popular with men cooking on the barbecue, but it's not just the grill where the guys are practicing their culinary craft.

"There are more men in the kitchen," he said.

Segura attributes the trend to more men watching cooking shows hosted by professional chefs such as Alton Brown, Paula Dean, Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray, whom Segura describes as a favorite of elderly men.

Segura suspects brining became popular after a mention on one of the shows, but Aimee Tang, owner of Fremont's Fine Foods at 1100 San Mateo Blvd. N.E., has another explanation.

"As more and more young people are starting to take on Thanksgiving dinners, they're kind of realizing they didn't pay attention to Mom or Grandma during the Thanksgiving meal," she said. "People are looking into how to do a Thanksgiving dinner from scratch."

And once they discover the old but newly trendy technique of brining and its moisture-ensuring effects, perhaps on the Internet, she noted one Thanksgiving mistake will be less tolerated.

"Having a dry turkey," she said, "is now just a huge faux pas."