Thinking about cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner

[KAMKIM]

How do I cook a turkey???

 

[TinklednPants]

Oh boy...why don't you check out butterball.com ? They should have all your answers.

 

[Angelhalo]

http://www.butterball.com/contact-us

They are sent from heaven!

 

[glitterkittyy]

Well I can tell you one thing to NOT do....don't leave the bag with the "extra stuff" inside the turkey when you cook it. My sister is never allowed to host Thanksgiving ever again. lol

There are lots of different ways to cook a turkey. I make mine like my dad used to....baste it and slow cook it in a turkey roasting pan covered to seal in the moisture until shortly before dinner then I remove the lid to let it brown.

 

[monkeybug]

I use Alton Browns recipe and it always turns out awesome!!
We brine it (this adds awesome flavor and moisture!) and then put it in a blazing hot oven for the first 30 minutes (500*) It browns the turkey and seals in the juices. Then cover the breast with foil and bake at a lower temp until its done. I also don't stuff it. Just an onion, some rosemary, cinnamon stick and apple in the cavity. It's never disappointed and it's easy peasy!!

 

[mtemm]

I swear by martha stewarts turkey 101. I've used it for years. the only thing I do is adapt a few things...I don't stuff my bird (I use a crock pot for my stuffing instead, works GREAT if you are interested will share how) so that changes a couple of things...timing and such.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/roast-turkey-and-gravy-101

her gravy recipe is wonderful. I usually substitue vermouth for the medeira since I have it onhand. I always get compliments on it. http://www.marthastewart.com/article/roast-turkey-and-gravy-101?page=2

get a good thermometer. I love love love love mine. my husband got it for me from william sonoma and I wanted to kill him for spending so much on it, but now I am tickled because its one of my favorite things in my kitchen. you leave it in the bird, and it measures the temp to little receiver. similar to this one. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku5710116/?pkey=x|4|1||4|thermometor||0&cm_src=SCH

thanksgiving isn't that hard a meal to prepare. the hardest thing is getting the timing right. just take the time to figure out as much as possible beforehand, and don't worry too much if the turkey is done too early (it can sit for a bit) while you scramble to finish other things and such. oh, and picking a recipe. there are so many different ways to make a turkey, and you'll probably see here a ton of people who swear by their method and only their method. pick one that seems good to you and stick with it.

 

[EthansMom]

We cook ours pretty much like a big roast chicken.

My advice:

Make sure you start thawing a frozen turkey in plenty of time.

Don't stuff the bird. This will save you a LOT of time in having to stuff the bird and then remove the stuffing; it is far safer for health/contamination issues; and the turkey cooks waaaaay faster if it isn't stuffed.

We don't really do anything special with our turkey. We rinse it off; pat it dry with some paper towels; I rub olive oil all over the outside of the bird; cut an onion into wedges and put it in the cavity; sprinkle dried thyme on the inside and outside of the bird; and then we put it in the oven (covered with aluminum foil). After the bird's been cooking for a while, use a baster to baste and remember to remove the foil for the last 30-45 mins so the bird browns up.

Make sure you have a working meat thermometer. Cook based on temp rather than on time.

I hope this helps!

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Well I can tell you one thing to NOT do....don't leave the bag with the "extra stuff" inside the turkey when you cook it. My sister is never allowed to host Thanksgiving ever again. lol

There are lots of different ways to cook a turkey. I make mine like my dad used to....baste it and slow cook it in a turkey roasting pan covered to seal in the moisture until shortly before dinner then I remove the lid to let it brown.

The first time I cooked a Turkey I left everything inside and cooked it upside down. This was many, many years ago.

I cook mine in a similar way. I rinse the turkey, put it in a pan, stuff it, rub butter all over, sprinkle with salt,pepper and poultry seasoning, and then put a little water in the bottom of the pan. Cook at 325 degress. I baste the turkey 1-2 times an hour. Then for the last 30 minutes I cook it uncovered to let it brown.

I used to use the one time use pans you get at the grcoery store covered with foil but it took forever to cook since I always do a large turkey. But not anymore. I have a great roasting pan I got from Bed Bath and Beyond. The first year I used this pan I had to call everyone to come earlier because the turkey cooked so fast.

 

[KAMKIM]

The first time I cooked a Turkey I left everything inside and cooked it upside down. This was many, many years ago.

I cook mine in a similar way. I rinse the turkey, put it in a pan, stuff it, rub butter all over, sprinkle with salt,pepper and poultry seasoning, and then put a little water in the bottom of the pan. Cook at 325 degress. I baste the turkey 1-2 times an hour. Then for the last 30 minutes I cook it uncovered to let it brown.

I used to use the one time use pans you get at the grcoery store covered with foil but it took forever to cook since I always do a large turkey. But not anymore. I have a great roasting pan I got from Bed Bath and Beyond. The first year I used this pan I had to call everyone to come earlier because the turkey cooked so fast.

How long does the turkey cook and how big of a turkey do I buy for 4 people, I'd like some left overs for the next day but not too much that I'd have to freeze anything.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

How long does the turkey cook and how big of a turkey do I buy for 4 people, I'd like some left overs for the next day but not too much that I'd have to freeze anything.

The butterball site has calculators to help you figure that out.

http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/calculators-and-conversions

I would suggest about a ten pund turkey, if you stuff it then it will take about 3 hours to cook. Getting a thermonater is very important - that way you can check the temp of the turkey and stuffing (if you stuff it) to make sure it has cooked to the right temp.

If you are going to make mashed potatos - I have found it much easier to make them as I put the turkey in and then let them keep warm in a crock pot. I know some people even make them the night before. I just recently started doing this and it makes things much easier.

 

[RitaZ.]

I cook two turkey breasts, no one likes the dark meat. I brine the breasts and cook them in individual cooking bags. I use Reynolds turkey size. The meat is always tender and juicy!

 

[disneyhand]

All great tips here. Don't stress, turkey is actually easy to make. So intimidating the first time, but don't worry, it will be fine.

I find making a timing schedule for everything really helps. Then I make lot's of lists; groceries, the menu, serving dishes, house cleaning chores, etc. And my favorite is to set the table the day before and I use post it's to map out where everything goes. I make sure I have the dish and serving utensil for each dish also. This helps me a lot, especially since I'm feeding 25-30 people. I do think it would help a first timer with 4 guests too!

 

[mhsjax]

I use the Reynolds cooking bags, they are so easy and I have never had any complaints. Also as other pp's have stated, be sure to pull everything out of the turkey. Also cooking a turkey upside down is actually good. I heard someone on the food network (I think Alton Brown)say it. Last year I had to do 2 turkeys because I had so many people. My neighbor was out of town and let me use her oven, so I did a test, I cooked one right side up and one up side down and got everyones opinion (there were 30 people) and almost everyone said both were really good, but the upside down one was better, reason being, the moisture from the dark meat cooks down into the breast meat, making it more moist. So anyway, relax, cooking a turkey is really pretty easy.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Have you ever roasted a chicken in the oven?

 

[Nancyg56]

I use Alton Browns recipe too. I don't always brine the bird but I follow his temperature guide. Make sure that you form a heavy foil mold to the breast and top of the leg portion of the turkey before you season teh outside of the turkey.. Spray it with Pam and then set aside until you lower the oven temperature. This is like an armor plate that keeps the bird from burning.

I would buy a 12 pound turkey for plenty of meat for dinner, sandwiches later on while relaxing and some leftovers.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

 

[KAMKIM]

Have you ever roasted a chicken in the oven?

Negative.

 

[Karalea]

I cook two turkey breasts, no one likes the dark meat. I brine the breasts and cook them in individual cooking bags. I use Reynolds turkey size. The meat is always tender and juicy!

The Reynolds bags are great and make it foolproof. If you don't have a meat thermometer, make sure your turkey comes with a pop up one - I think butterballs do. When the thing pops up, your turkey is done. Easy Peasy!

Cooking a turkey is not hard so don't stress about it. If you can cook chicken, you can cook a turkey. Relax..it will be great.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

How long does the turkey cook and how big of a turkey do I buy for 4 people, I'd like some left overs for the next day but not too much that I'd have to freeze anything.

The smallest one you can find, 12lbs is plenty. I prefer Butterball (more dark meat) to Honeysuckle white (breed for extra white meat).

 

[KAMKIM]

I use the Reynolds cooking bags, they are so easy and I have never had any complaints. Also as other pp's have stated, be sure to pull everything out of the turkey. Also cooking a turkey upside down is actually good. I heard someone on the food network (I think Alton Brown)say it. Last year I had to do 2 turkeys because I had so many people. My neighbor was out of town and let me use her oven, so I did a test, I cooked one right side up and one up side down and got everyones opinion (there were 30 people) and almost everyone said both were really good, but the upside down one was better, reason being, the moisture from the dark meat cooks down into the breast meat, making it more moist. So anyway, relax, cooking a turkey is really pretty easy.

I'm not sure what you mean by this? Something comes inside the turkey when you buy it?? WHY??

 

[mhsjax]

I'm not sure what you mean by this? Something comes inside the turkey when you buy it?? WHY??

um, its the gizzard and liver, pretty yucky and down right cold if that bird isn't thawed all the way through. lol