Making a turkey can be as simple or complicated as you make it. Commerical whole frozen turkey are usually injected with a solution (will say on the label) and brining of those is not recommended and can make the turkey excessively salty. Brining involves a lot of extra complication on an already busy cooking holiday, so would just skip that step. Every turkey is a different size, so always use a good meat thermometer to tell when it is done to the correct temperature. You can't reliably tell when a turkey is done by looking or poking it or giggling the legs.
Thawing a whole turkey in the refrigerator can take 3+ days, so make sure to plan ahead.
I melt about 3T of butter to spread over the skin before baking, sprinkle with paprika helps the skin to brown. Put root vegetables (celery/carrots/onion) in the pan to add flavor to the gravy. Chicken or turkey broth/stock can be found in the grocery store and used in place of plain water for added flavor. Place the bird on a rack in your roaster so it isn't sitting in the liquid during baking. Stuffing (if desired) between the skin and white meat insures it cooks completely and helps keep the bird moist. Stuffing the cavity can slow down the cooking process and result in uneven baking. Baste each hour during baking. The dark meat absorbs heat faster than white meat, so the whole bird will be done to the correct temperature, so you should have no issues roasting the whole turkey.
Bake at 350. Temperature will rise slowly at first, so don't turn up the oven temperature thinking it isn't going to be done on time. Temperature will rise more quickly toward the end of baking. Check internal temp each time you baste.
unsure if true, but the rationale behind it does make sense.
