6 Easy Tips For Fool Proof Turkeys

Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season is soon to be upon us, and sooner or later every cook has to face the task of cooking a turkey. That giant bird can be intimidating but by following a few guidelines success can be guaranteed.

  1. Don’t get a bigger turkey than you really need. The bigger the bird, the harder it is to handle, and the longer it takes. Although, that said, two small turkeys are even more trouble than one big one.
  2. Plan for plenty of time for thawing - In the refrigerator! about 24 hours for every 4 pounds of turkey. 16 pound bird = 4 days, and don’t count Thanksgiving day, you want that thing completely thawed by the big day.
  3. Plan plenty of time for cooking - A 10 - 20 pound turkey will take about 3-4 hours in the oven at 325 degrees. And remember that you can’t really cook anything else in the oven at the same time as the turkey, so plan for that too.
  4. Don’t over cook! An over cooked turkey is guaranteed to be dry. Use a cooking thermometer, and take it out when the thigh is at 180 degrees. Start checking during the last hour of scheduled cook time, or even better get a probe thermometer that can stay in and be read without opening the oven ($20 or less). When the oven door is open you ain’t cookin’. Or just get a turkey with a built in thermometer. Those things really do work.
  5. Use an oven bag - these things really work as well. Using an oven bag will help to keep the bird from drying out, and will really cut down on the mess.
  6. Consider frying your turkey - frying a turkey only takes about 45 minutes, and doesn’t tie up the oven, and a juicy flavorful product is assured. You can get the kits anywhere nowadays, and just follow the directions. Our clan favors fried turkeys by a wide margin. Another benefit is that you can completely draft someone else into doing it while you work in the kitchen. Or vise-versa. Either way, it’s easy, and tasty, and gets one operation (and most of the men) out of the kitchen. Another benefit is that once the bird is cooked, and while the oil is still hot you can play “Wonder what this’s like fried?” Or you could just make a big heap of steak fries. Not traditional, but a guaranteed hit.

For more info including carving tips and thaw / cook times go to Butterball.com and don’t let that big bird intimidate you! Turkeys are easy, once you know the basics.

Jones :: Oct.03.2007 :: Holiday Food ::

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