You are ready to cook a feast for your friends and family. You’ve got the cranberry sauce chilling, yummy home-made pies and veggies galore, but now you need the perfect turkey to serve your guests. How do you cook the perfect turkey?
Start with a frozen turkey from your favorite grocer. Get a frozen bird in the size that you will need to feed everyone, a general rule of thumb is that for every ten pounds of bird, you can feed six to seven people and still have a few leftovers. Two days before your dinner, be sure to put your bird into your refrigerator and allow it to thaw slowly so that it is ready by the day you need to cook it. Never thaw a turkey at room temperature as it can cause food poisoning. Once thawed, remove the outer plastic wrapping from the turkey; take out the giblet pouch, the turkey neck that’s usually stuffed into the body cavity and the metal or plastic handle that’s near the legs. Wash the turkey in your clean kitchen sink with cold water only. At this time, you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place your turkey into a roasting pan with the breast side up. First, start with stuffing the body cavity of the bird with either a cornbread or other bread stuffing mix. For the most flavorful stuffing, you should make sure it is well seasoned. You can also try adding dried fruit like dates or cranberries, walnuts or chopped onions and peppers. Once the bird is stuffed, drizzle olive oil over the bird and use a basting brush to coat everything. This helps to flavor the meat and keep it moist. Then sprinkle poultry seasoning, salt and pepper over the entire turkey. Once you have it coated, take a large sheet of tin foil and construct a “tent” over the turkey to prepare it for cooking. Keep one end loose since you will be adding water on this end. If your roasting pan comes with a lid, then you can use the lid instead. This is the secret to a moist bird; keeping it covered until just before it is done. Once you have the turkey ready to go into the hot oven, carefully lift the entire pan (get someone strong to help you if you need to) and put it on the bottom rack centered in the oven. Now you may add 5 cups of hot water into the very bottom of the pan. Then cover the turkey up, close the oven and note the time. Use the following chart to know how long you should cook the turkey:
Unstuffed
8 to 12 pounds
2 3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds
3 to 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds
3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds
4 1/2 to 5 hours
Stuffed
8 to 12 pounds
3 to 3 1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds
3 1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds
4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds
4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
(Adapted from the USDA)
Be sure to check your turkey once it has cooked for 2 hours; add more water if the level drops below 1 inch in the bottom of the pan. This water will help keep your turkey moist and will become the broth for the gravy once it’s finished cooking. Forty-five minutes before the turkey is finished cooking, remove the tin foil covering or lid and allow the skin to brown. Once the turkey interior reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F, or the turkey thermometer pops up, your turkey is cooked and ready to serve. Enjoy!
