Let's Talk Turkey
It's your turn to cook a turkey. Is it your first ever, and you're a terrified wreck? Or are you a seasoned Thanksgiving pro who's just looking for a cooking time refresher course? Whichever group you fall into, you'll find what you need here.
How to Cook a TurkeyFirst rule of cooking a turkey: don't panic. It's not hard.
If it's the first Thanksgiving you're going to host, make it a point NOT to have too many guests. That will just add to your stress. A nice small group, a nice small turkey. Plenty of leftovers. Done. Question Number 1: How much turkey do I need? You should allow about 1 and 1/2 pounds for each person, to have plenty of turkey and provide for leftovers. Now that's for big eaters. So a 15 pound turkey will take care of 10 people. For 20 people, you'd need 30 pounds of turkey. (I don't think I've even seen a 30 pound turkey at my store... sounds like you'll need two birds!) Question Number 2: How long does it need to thaw? If it's a fresh bird, keep it in the fridge and it doesn't need thawing at all. If you have a frozen bird, divide the weight (in pounds) of the bird by 4, and that'll tell you how many days it needs to thaw in the fridge: 10 pounds = 2 1/2 days 15 pounds = 3 3/4, or almost 4 days 20 pounds = 5 days If you're going to thaw in cold water, it's about 1/2 hour per pound. 10 pounds = 5 hours 20 pounds = 10 hours Warm and hot water thawing are not allowed. Question Number 3: How do I prepare the turkey for roasting? 1. Rinse the bird and pat it dry with paper towels. 2. Season the bird. Inside and out with salt and pepper. 3. Rub the bird with oil. Under the skin with olive or vegetable oil keeps the bird moist. On the skin gives a nice brown skin. Use twine or unflavored floss to tie the legs. (Mine comes with a dandy plastic holder.) Pin or tuck the wings in close to the body. This year, I used two bamboo skewers - right through the wing and into the body - great job. 4. Put the turkey into the roasting pan. Put some cut up celery, onions, and carrots inside and around it. Add some water around the turkey. Keep your work area as clean as you can. There's still some danger of contamination. Keep your work in one area. Have plenty of paper towels. Wash your hands before you go moving around the kitchen touching everything else. Good rule of thumb: consider the turkey to be coated with a low-grade poison that is spread by contact. Question Number 4: How long and how hot to roast the turkey? 1. Set the oven for 325 F. Adjust the rack to fit the bird and the pan before you turn the oven on. No sense handling hot racks. 2. Let the turkey sit out for over an hour to get the chill out of it. 3. Put the turkey in the oven. You can cover the top loosely with foil to prevent over cooking, but it's really just not that big a deal. 4. Roast for the recommended time below. If you have a pop-up timer, bonus! Baste the turkey from time to time if you want, but the jury is still out on whether that does anything. Mostly, it gives you a chance to keep opening the oven, dropping the temperature, and making the turkey take longer. 8 to 12 lbs: 2 3/4 to 3 hrs 12 to 14 lbs: 3 to 3 3/4 hrs 14 to 18 lbs: 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hrs 18 to 20 lbs: 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hrs 20 to 24 lbs: 4 1/2 to 5 hrs 5. Let the turkey rest. 20 minutes is good. The turkey will stay hot for about 40 minutes. This resting period is supposed to let the juices redistribute, so the turkey is evenly moist. Question Number 6: How do I carve the turkey? This is a tough question. There are many videos out there for this procedure. One thing I've learned is don't carve the turkey at the dinner table. If you want to present it, do that, then take it back to the kitchen while your guests get their plates ready with the trimmings. The basic steps are: 1. Remove and debone the legs and thighs (dark meat). Put them on a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. 2. Cut each entire breast from the carcass and slice it in a comfortable position. (The resting period also helps with this step - it's not so hot that you can't handle it.) Cut across the grain. If you have a meat slicer, this is the time to use it for wonderfully consistent slices. Since I'm not the best at carving a turkey, I've put a video below. If you really want to work some Thanksgiving magic, consider pre-cooking and pre-slicing a turkey before the big day arrives. That way, you have time to be fussy, and you can cover and reheat the beautiful roasted slices in the oven. You can actually prepare a second turkey (not too big) for the presentation. That way, there's very little time between the presentation and the delivery. If you can find turkey for 49 cents a pound before the holiday, this becomes a very cheap and impressive trick. If you're entertaining a big crowd, you can declare that the second turkey is the leftovers-provider! Question Number 7: How do I fry a turkey? 1. Don't. If you're here looking for advice, you don't want that challenge. 2. Don't. Let someone else do that. Someone who is willing to set the place on fire and ruin the holiday. You should practice this someplace safe when no family is around. Not in your back yard or on your deck. 3. Don't. If it says it's an "infra-red" non-oil turkey "fryer," it's just a cylinder that makes dry heat. Use your oven. Be a real hero. |