ahh got it now thanks

"dodo says cover in water, is that a good idea, it sounds it on the surface at least."

I think this is in reference to defrosting the turkey in the sink. It's not a cooking method. So if your turkey is already defrosted ignore this.

I wouldn't recommend cooking the stuffing in the turkey. It's much better if you cook it in a casserole dish on the side. Agree it's too mushy and potentially unsafe if undercooked when actually stuffed in the turkey.

Cooking breast down is the easiest and best way to cook a turkey.
Also use lots of butter!

Good Luck!

Oh you can do that with a goose also ( une vraie oie ) , miam miam

If dry brining. ..which I highly recommend. .do it now. It needs to be on at least 24 hours. Purpose is not to season but causes a chemical reaction that keeps turkey moist. I used kosher salt and brown sugar.
Don't underestimate how hard and dangerous it is to flip over a hot big slippery turkey. If doing brine..not necessary to cook breast down. Spread seasoned butter mix (sage, smoked paprika , pepper. .whatever) and no basting. Every time you open oven door to baste it has to get back up to temp...takes longer and dry bird. Tent with foil when it's nice and brown..put cut up onion, carrot etc inside and on bottom of roasting pan. .with wine and water on bottom too. Just about an inch.
Biggest thing is allow to rest..tented with foil 20-30 minutes. No less!! If you can buy a remote probe thermometer. .do it. Thermometer stays in bird with a wire that sits outside the oven so you can keep an eye on the temperature. Every bird is different. ..some cook quickly and some take forever so you can't rely on minutes per pound. I cook to 165 internal temp ..max. temperature will go up as it rests.
Stuffing inside the bird..increases cooking time which means drier bird. Don't do it.
Don't use disposable flimsy foil pan..use sturdy roaster.
Fresh sage. .(no salt since you dry brined) pepper, butter and smoked paprika under skin will give flavor. Dry brine will keep moist. What could possibly go wrong? Thermometer is your friend.

I thought you were a dude?

Whew. Glad that got clarified :)

Agree. Years ago my sister was visiting for turkey day, arriving early afternoon & she'd be doing the cooking. I just had to buy everything. So I went to the store early Turkey Day to get everything, not realizing how long it takes to thaw a frozen turkey. My sister was not amused when she arrived, and we definitely used the water method (and ate really late on Turkey Day).

Cheers.

The posts really made me hungry. Tempted to go to some London restaurant that serves a nice thanksgiving dinner :)

OP will there be a photo of the completed product :)

OT "Why Thanksgiving is the worst time to travel in the United States"

I am pretty sure some UK-US association must have some Thanksgiving events planned for tomorrow.
I know that in Paris there used to be one ( don't know if it is still going on) whereby you can buy tickets or even a table for Turkey dinner. IIRC they have two seatings .

Yes a goose is great but I go more towards the ducks.

Lots of turkeys at the market today and lots of wild birds.

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Lots of restaurants (run by American chefs) are doing Tday and many organizations as well.

Well writ and right!

Stuffing in the turkey is an ancient custom, not worth doing (With careful mix of ingredients and moisture, baked outside provides equal flavor), a potential health risk, and extends roasting (and drying out) time. "Dry Brine" or season the inside well, and insert and apple and half a big onion (both increase moisture). Basting? I do, and like to use a butter/olive oil mix w/some "sweet' vermouth and a little orange marmalade added to the last "dosage", 30 minutes or so before the bird comes out of the oven

Turkey stock? Easy. Onion, celery tops, carrot, garlic, herbs, especially bay leaves, neck, wing tips, the liver, heart and gizzard (just until "done" to use in gravy or stuffing), and my "secret ingredient", extracted by takeing a set of heavy kitchen (or better, surgical) shears and cutting up each side of the back bone, tail to top, removing the entire back section to speed cooking and strengthen the stock (stripped from the cooked back, the meat makes a fine addition the stuffing/dressing - always cornbread-based at my house, heavy on onions, celery and green pepper, and with an extra pan made with oysters, a little andouille sausage and maybe even shrimps, in the style of the eggplant pirogues from some New Orleans eateries.

You never have enough stock, so keep some boxed or canned chicken stock on hand. If it's Swanson's, barely chickenish, plan on upping the level of seasoning.

Gravy should be formulated while the bird "rests up" covered with foil after coming from the oven and moved to a platter or tray (family heirloom, estate or yard sale, usually ancient wedding gifts, "silver plated" with millions hiding in cupboards and cabinets across the nation), should be made in the roasting pan, after removing excess fat, and adding some flour to make the time-honored blonde roux. Those who use "gravy mixes" or canned/bottled gravy have already abandoned all hope before entering and should be throwed out along with the skin, bones and sodden vegetable remains left after straining stock. Dogs are greedier than hogs, so don't give'em the bones, dangerously capable of causing choking. On the other hand slow-simmered turkey skin has always been like unto crack cocaine in the desires of my terrible terriers.

I meant cooking a goose in lieu of a turkey ( MIL likes goose) , stuffed with a boneless duck which is in turn stuffed with another member of the poultry family.

You and I are on a wavelength, TMOliver :D I use Alton Brown's gravy recipe and it gets raves. It is slightly labor-intensive (particularly the cleanup!) but well worth it:

You will need two saucepans,a fine-mesh strainer, a ladle, and a whisk. Making it takes up two burners on the stove, so figure that into your planning if you're heating up other things at the same time.

Ingredients:

3 cups white wine
turkey roasting pan drippings
4 cups chicken broth
~10 peppercorns
~10 sage leaves
6 T butter
4 T flour
Salt

Once the turkey is out of the oven and resting on the cutting board, drain all the fat from the roasting pan (toss it or save it for your dogs, if you have dogs!). Put the pan on the stovetop, turn the burners under it to medium, and pour the white wine into the pan. Using a spatula, scrape up all of the drippings and deglaze the pan.

Strain this liquid into a saucepan and add the chicken stock, peppercorns, and sage leaves. Bring this to a boil and reduce it down to about 4 cups. Add salt to taste.

Meanwhile, in the other saucepan, make a roux with butter and flour and cook for 5 minutes, whisking frequently.

Take your ladle and strainer. Ladle a cup or so of the boiling broth through the strainer into the roux. Whisk it together to make a paste. Keep adding ladlefuls of strained broth to this mixture one by one, keeping it simmering, and whisking until the gravy thickens to your liking. This can simmer for up to 30 minutes--the longer the better (this is why it's a good idea to take the turkey out of the oven at least 45 minutes before carving). If necessary, thin with more chicken broth before serving.

^ Noticed one (fairly known cake shop) that is run by former student of ours that is doing a Thanks giving special :)