Q. What size turkey should I buy?
A. The rule of thumb is to allow 1 lb. raw weight per person, so a 20 pound turkey would feed 20 people. Multiply accordingly.
Q. How long should I cook the turkey? What oven temperature?
A. See Cooking Time Chart - Preheat to 350 deg. F.
Turkey Tips:
- Allow approx. 5 - 6 hrs. for a large turkey. No turkey will take longer than that, so plan on putting it in the oven around noon to serve at dinner.
- A meat thermometer is worth the investment. A turkey costs lots of money and a thermometer can prevent disaster.
- If the turkey is cooking too quickly, turn down the over temperature to 300 degrees or less and let it cook slowly.
- Set the timer to check the oven thermometer.
- Insert the meat thermometer in the thick part of the thigh, not touching the bone. The thigh takes the longest to cook.
Safety Tip:
- When working with raw turkey, wipe down all work area, wash knives, etc. and your hands in a mild bleach and water solution. This discourages growth of salmonella, a dangerous bacteria that causes illness which can really spoil a holiday.
- Thaw turkey wrapped in paper in the refrigerator, rinse out with water, drain . Set aside for stuffing.
Everyone has a favorite stuffing recipe and some packaged stuffing mixes are excellent. Some families prefer cornbread, others use herbs.
For a Tasty Stuffing:
- Cut a loaf of stale bread approx into cubes. One loaf will stuff a 14 lb. Bird.
- Dice one medium onion
- Chop 1/2 c. - 1 c. celery with leaves
- Add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper
- Add a little chicken broth and 1/2 c. melted butter or margarine
- Stuffing should be partially moist.
- Pack it into the turkey using a wooden spoon.
- It absorbs the turkey juices as it cooks and is a moist, tasty stuffing.
Optional additions:
- Diced apple, crushed chestnuts, dried cranberries, raisins
Gravy:
My preferred method of gravy making is to combine canned gravy with turkey juices. It's usually lump-free and very tasty.
There are lots of gravy recipes with and without using the turkey neck and giblets. Some require addition of flour or cornstarch, either of which can add lumps. To avoid lumps, add the cornstarch to cool water and mix it before adding it to the gravy juice.
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Comments: 28
I'm so looking forward to eating some this year.
And, I do love stuffing!
Yummy!
In the past, we've found that 1 pound per person doesn't work. Just at dinner, we usually go through over a pound per person, and we like to have left overs. With 5 people, a single Turkey breast wouldn't feed us with any left overs. We're planning to get a 15 pound bird this year.
The turkey and the gravy and the stuffing all look so good,
I copied this and sent it to my grand daughter, since she is cooking this year, lol. gotta help 'em when you can.
I guess we need to consider the number teenaged boys vs. grandmas and little kids and how much leftover turkey we want?
I use an electric roaster and save the oven for cooking my completely non-healthy, but delicious dressing.
As for the roaster, I start out at 400º for the first half hour, to aide browning, then lower the temp to 350º for the duration. Browning isn't really important, as I only cook for my wife and myself, using a 10 - 12 lb bird. I always cook until the bird is "falling apart" done and have as yet, to have a dry breast or anything else.
One good thing about cooking until it falls apart, is that when it's done, I can reach into the roaster, grab the breast bone and pull half the bones out with a little shaking. As I de-bone, I stack the various meats... dark, white.... onto different plates, slicing some breast along the way.
In preparing the bird, I always salt the inside liberally.. the only thing liberal about me is my cooking!.... but I digress. After salting the inside, I'll rub it thoroughly to make sure the salt covers all the insides. Then, I'll lightly moisten the skin and add pepper and a wee bit of my "special" barbecue seasoning. Into the roaster, as above, and away we go.
The Dressing I make, I use no recipe to follow. I used to watch mom make hers and that was so simple I never needed to write it down. So, to simplify, I'll give a brief description of my dressing's contents.
2 cans turkey or chicken broth
butter... more butter... melted, of course... then if it's still a tad dryish, I'll add a wee bit more broth or water... depends on my mood. ( Too much butter will make the dressing just a bit too "greasy".
Celery.... how much ever I wish to chop up. Usually about 4 individual sticks, thinly sliced.
Onion... always a sweet white onion, quartered and sliced, then chopped to a chunky consistency.
The onion and celery are fried in a cast iron pan until close to tender. Then all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and dished into two glass baking dishes. When the bird is about done, I preheat the oven to 400º and cook the dressing until the top is slightly crunchy and it's heated through, bubbling along the edges.
Drool. I knew I shouldn't have answered this post.
Anyway... that's MY take on cooking a Turkey, for this season. Rotsa ruck to everyone and their birds!
We like our dressing really moist. And my brother loves it, so I usually make a couple packages worth and take a lot of Turkey and dressing to him, after wife and I've dined. He doesn't care to visit and our little home is just too small to entertain anyone except the cats & dogs... who, btw, are VERY entertained with the odors wafting about all day.
There... NOW, I think I've covered it. I'll probably wake up at 4 a.m. and remember something.