Cooking a turkey a whole turkey, whether for Thanksgiving or for any celebration, can seem very confusing and difficult at first. This article will show any beginner how to prepare a turkey, and how it can be cooked.
Steps
1. Choose a good turkey. Although a lot of people will have a different budget for buying a turkey, it s a wise idea to purchase one that you can best afford. The turkey should be free range, organic, and rather purchased fresh from a butcher instead of a supermarket to ensure quality and freshness.
2. Thaw the turkey, if necessary. If you happen to choose a frozen turkey for your Thanksgiving, it s very important to take it out of the freezer ahead of time to allow the turkey to fully defrost and thaw prior to cooking. It should be thawed in its original wrapping in a deep tray at the bottom of the refrigerator and opened only to allow it to set to room temperature a few hours prior to preparation.
3. Remove the giblets from the inside cavity and then the turkey, rinsed under cold running water. Afterward, pat dry with a dish rag thoroughly. If the turkey is going to be stuffed, the stuffing should be added to the neck cavity at this time. See How to Stuff a Turkey for Thanksgiving. Weigh the whole stuffed turkey to determine how long cooking time will be. The average cooking time is 20 minutes per pound of the whole turkey.
4. Brine the turkey if desired. Brining is the very simple and inexpensive process of “marinating” the bird in a salt solution infused with aromatic herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables. The salting process encourages very deep, cellular moisture penetration, which basically means less drying out during roasting...resulting in a moister bird.
Roasting
See also How to Roast a Turkey
1. Oven temperature plays an important role while properly cooking a turkey. The setting should be at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). This exact temperature should stay for at least the first 30 to 45 minutes in order for the heat to fully penetrate the turkey. After a half an hour, the temperature should be reduced to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius) to finish cooking.
2. The tray the turkey is roasted in should be covered thoroughly with two sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. One sheet should go length wise and the next sheet the other way. Also make sure the sheets are large enough to fully wrap over and around the whole entire turkey to form a loose sealed tent to cook in. This keeps in moisture, and doesn t allow the turkey to burn or dry out.
3. Place the turkey on the foil rubbed with 4 ounces of room temperature unsalted butter to the breast meat and thighs. Also consider wrapping strips of bacon on the breast meat to keep it moist during cooking. Wrap the foil up over the turkey and place in the oven carefully.
4. Basting should be done every 30 minutes or so after the cooking temperature has already been reduced. Doing this earlier will drop the oven temperature and disrupt cooking time. Also consider being extra cautious while unwrapping and wrapping the turkey up between bastings to prevent the risk of getting burned.
5. To receive a nice crispy skin on the turkey, the foil over the breast and thighs should be removed and so should the bacon to allow to crisp. This ensures the cooking process to be complete and makes a great appearance as well.
6. When you re estimated cooking time is finished (depending on the weight of your turkey), check to see if the turkey is fully cooked by sticking a metal skewer or fork into the thickest part (thigh is recommended). If any red juices or traces of pink meat are present, consider placing the turkey back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes or so. The turkey is fully cooked when all juices run clear and are free of any pink and red.
7. After removing from the oven, it should be wrapped in new foil and put aside 30 40 minutes prior to carving. This allows the juice in the bird to stay and distribute evenly throughout the whole entire turkey.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")