Originally Posted by
TrojanHorse
Ok, I've never cooked a turkey but a last minute change has me well cooking a turkey
I'm not too thrilled about it as I'd much rather have made a ham or roast but kids wanted turkey so turkey it is
I bought a small turkey last night at Safeway.
I'm not even sure where to start.
I'm not looking for anything that will make this turn out glamorous nor anything difficult. I just don't want it to be dry.
So where do I start.
Yes I can google it and I will tonight but I thought I'd start with the experts here
Oh yeah, what else do I need besides the turkey (not as in food to go with it) to cook it. I can make another Safeway run later if need be
Is it fresh or frozen?
I know that there there some already stuffed , frozen ones that you can just put in the oven but I am just asking.
What kind of stuffing your kids would like ?
You will need the ingredients to get it going to day so that you can stuff the bird tomorrow morning ( if that's how you are proceeding)
Otherwise, that's how to go about it (from my early days of learning how to cook
) :
Step 1: Thaw it. If using a frozen turkey, thaw in its original plastic wrapper in the fridge. Allow for five hours per pound, or per 500 g.
Quicker method: Cover the turkey with cold water (the sink is a good place for this), and change with fresh cold water every 30 minutes; allow one hour per pound (500 g).
Step 2: Season it. Prepare the turkey by removing giblets and neck. Rinse and wipe the cavity; sprinkle with salt and pepper or stuff lightly using skewers to fasten skin over the cavity.
Step 3: Roast it. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Brush with melted butter or oil. Tent loosely with foil. Roast in 325ºF (160ºC) oven for about 20 minutes per pound (500 g) or until juices run clear when turkey is pierced and when thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180ºF (82ºC) for a stuffed turkey or 170ºF (77ºC) for an unstuffed turkey. Remove tent for last hour of roasting.
Step 4: Cover and leave it. When turkey is done, transfer to warm platter. Tent with foil and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows time for juices at the surface of the bird to distribute evenly throughout the meat.
Step 5: Carve turkey. Eat and enjoy!
These days, instead of cooking it in the oven, hubby is brave enough to use the BBQ ( we have a KEG one) - slow cooking even when it is -10C outside