How to roast a turkey?
 

My parents and in-laws will be TRAVELING to my house this year and I will be making my first Thanksgiving turkey. I've gotten lots of great ideas from the recipe thread, but am wondering about turkey roasting basics. I bought a roasting pan (with a cover, but not a wire rack). Do you use a cover? A wire rack? Will the skin be crispy if I cover w/pan cover the entire time or should I just do foil for part of the time?

Any experienced turkey roasters out there, I'd love your tips. I can return the pan I got and buy one w/a rack if necessary. I'm planning to stuff the turkey and surround it w/little potatoes. Thanks in advance!!

A Reynold's Turkey bag is the key! No basting, crispy skin and no mess, with very moist dark meat! You will love it!

Hmm...no basting = no pan drippings for delicious gravy.

My method: Bird goes on wire rack in roasting pan with cut up carrots, celery, onion and giblits in the pan, put some chicken stock in the pan as well. Baste every 45 minutes with melted butter & red wine or port combo. If bird starts getting too brown cover lightly with foil. Use pan drippings & cooked veggies etc. for the gravy (skim off fat first of course).

Happy cooking!

Get that bird out and get it thawed. If you get a fresh one, that would be even more ideal.

Do a search for a buttermilk brine and soak the bird 24 hrs or at least overnight. Roast in a pan w/o a rack and baste, baste, baste.

You do not need to cover with a lid. You may want to tent with a some tin foil as to not get the bird to brown, near the end of roasting.

Also, a cheese cloth soaked in butter/herbs, maybe some wine is a good way to seal in moisture. I take it off about 40 min before bird is done to brown better.
I use a rack.
Happy turkey daY!!

My office is serving the traditional feast today for lunch. Yum.

deep fryer is the best!! I spent $40 on one, and it's the best turkey ever! Inject some spices, and drop it in the peanut oil. Moist, crunchy, and takes 4 or 5 minutes per pound to cook!!!

Yes use the cover but take it off the last 30 minutes or so so your turkey will brown. If you don't use it, you risk your turkey being overcooked on the top.

The easiest way to cook a turkey is to call your local deli in your local grocery store and have them cook it.

Use pepperidge farm dressing mix to stuff the turkey. Add some walnuts, celary, and onion to the mix.

Stuff the turkey and it will not dry out. Not sure why you are stuffing the turkey with little potatoes unless you are skipping the dressing.

I always stuff it with things that will smell good during cooking, cut up apples, garlic, celery, for example...

snowrooster, please do not attempt to deep fry your bird.

Unless you are really knowledgable about this you will end up with: a mess, an undercooked bird, and a fortune spent on oil you will only use once.

My husband has fried turkeys for years and years and it never ceases to amaze me the people who tell him horror story after horror story about trying to deep fry a turkey.

Brown paper bag -- the kind you get at the grocery store. Staple it up and 20 min a lb at 325. No basting, and it comes out nice and crispy brown. I've been doing it that way for the past 7 years, and my wife has no complaints (maybe because <b>I've</b> been doing it).

No popcorn stuffing this year. ((a)) ((b))

I must say I get TWICE as much gravy from the bag then normal covered blue enamel roasters. I was very reluctant to try it at first, now I would not do the turkey any other way! A neophtes's dream IMO! :-)

GT - I'm surrounding the turkey w/little potatoes, not stuffing it w/them - I agree that would be a bit odd. My mom always used peppridge farm stuffing and that was fabulous so I think I'll do that too if I don't do it myself. Either way I was planning to add chopped apple, raisans, and pecans. No interest in deep frying - I'll have enough fattening food on the table that I don't see the point in deep frying the bird!!

I bought a baster so I plan to baste. I know bags are supposed to work well, but it kind of ruins the oohs and ahhs when the turkey comes out of the oven in a plastic bag (IMHO). It doesn't seem like the wire rack is necessary, is it? I'm so excited - going to the store tomorrow and my grocery cart is going to wicked full (just got back from Boston, get it?).

Duh. Sorry snowrooster, you did write around and not in the turkey! Brush up on reading skills.

If you can manage this...smear some softened butter under the skin before roasting.

The secret to a moist turkey is brining. I think the Americastestkitchen.com website has a recipe for brine (a PBS cooking show from Cook's Illustrated that is no longer on the air in NC). The hardest part about brining a turkey is finding a container large enough. My mom ends up brining the bird in her roaster one-half at a time.

You bought a good roasting pan because it has a cover. Wire inserts are easy to find at Linens-n-things and other places like it. Cook the turkey with the cover ON and it will cook faster than most directions say. It also helps keep the bird moist because it gets steamy in the pan.

The most important tool to have is an instant read thermometer. Check the bird in the thicked part of the thigh to make sure it is cooked. Don't trust the pop-up.

If you do end up stuffing the bird, make sure you remove the stuffing as soon as you remove the bird from the oven to prevent bad things happening to your guests.

Good luck

About stuffing.

After getting sick 2 yrs. in a row with in-laws' stuffed turkey that sat too long after roasting (&quot;it needs to settle!&quot;), I have gotten seriously persnickety about stuffing. I do prefer stuffing that's been in the bird, although fo safety lots of people now make stuffing in a side casserole and just put an apple or two in the bird for moisture.

But I like to line the cavities with double-thickness cheesecloth, leaving enough of an apron of cloth so you'll be able to pull it all together and tie it up with string. I then shove the stuffing into the lined cavities -- you can pack it pretty well. Two advantages: you get all the nice exchange of flavors between bird and stuffing AND you can yank the stuffing package out soon after roasting and separate it from the &quot;settling&quot; bird.

This makes getting all the stuffing out easy and saves you the danger of tidbits of stuffing sitting too long in the bird. It also allows you a prettier presentation because you can dump the stuffing into a nice serving dish.

Another time I'll tell you about the T'giving when the same in-laws roasted the turkey upside down -- not to keep the breast moister and then turn it right side up an hour before finishing to brown the bird, but becaues they got a little confused about turkey anatomy. They weren't happy with my giggles. Never giggle at an inlaw.

Gawd Cassandra, that is food poisoning 101 HUGE NO NO!

Tell your inlaws leaving the stuffing inside the turkey is the number #1 cause of food poisoning on Thanksgiving Day. The stuffing doesn't need to settle but get the heck out of the cavity as soon as possible.

They are asking for someone to get seriously ill. I wouldn't touch that bird or anything that comes in contact. I'll find you a link.

I'm well aware that food poisoning is/was the result of leaving the bird out and stuffed. But in-laws are (believe it or not) MDs and one has Cordon Bleu training. So one does not tell them anything. They had 22 people for dinner one year, and most of us got sick. Their response: &quot;flu seems to be going around.&quot; Denial is a powerful thing.

Since then, I have learned how to be too busy to actually put turkey or stuffing on my plate, and never EVER touch the leftovers.

I think Cassandra's alternative suggestion (cheese cloth) is a good one. So is not ever giggling at the mistakes of inlaws.

I think I'll try the briny thing this year!

For a moist turkey, cook it breast side down..yeah, I know its not as artistic, but this way the juices from the dark meat drain into the breast.

Since ths is the 49year I've made Thanksgiving (one of these days we'll eat out) let me add my two cents... Put whatever you want to oil up the turkey...make a rub out of garlic, onion, paprika, celery salt... Rub it over the turkey...PUT THE TURKEY BREAST SIDE DOWN ON A PAM SPRAYED RACK!!! This way the fat from the dark meat keeps the white meat juicy.. I tent it with alum. foil. In the bottom of the pain I put chicken broth, white wine, carrots and onions..and the water from any veggie that I've cooked. I do tent the turkey and turn it over the last hour...let it sit.. I pour off the fat, and put the pan over the burner and slowly brown flour adding the liquid from the bottom of the pan bit by bit until it's incorporated and this should make a dark and rich gravy.. I've also taken the giblets and boiled them up with carrots and celery and use that for basting. The secret I've discovered is roasting the turkey upside down...it never, ever fails to make a juice turkey. If you don't want to buy a rack I just saw the Naked Chef on tv the other day loading up the bottom of the roasting pan with carrots, parsnip, potatoes and setting the turkey on that...then you can use the veggies in a big pot when you bone the turkey carcas to make turkey soup.. By using the liquid from the potatoes, squash or whatever it makes a great soup...after you boil it and turkey falls away from the bones you can add rice or strain the whole thing and add fresh veggies.

What are the pros (and are there cons) of using a wire rack when roasting?

If the stuffing is taken out of the bird immediately, is it not safe to eat leftover stuffing (which has been properly refrigerated)? Why? I'm curious (and don't want to get sick!).

Oh....almost forgot...use apple cider to moisten the dressing.

Lots of good suggestions here, and also great resources on the internet if you Google it. I make a large turkey breast for our small family of four, and have done it a few different ways, including smoking it on the Weber grill outside. I always put broth in the bottom of the pan to create a good base for the gravy.
Relax-- because however you prepare it, turkey's one of the easiest things to make. So don't be nervous. It's much simpler than you might think. It's the side dishes that make me crazy, and the gravy!
If you decide to stuff the turkey, be sure to take care with it as suggested and certainly don't stuff it and let it sit in a raw turkey for long. I do basic sage dressing in a Corningware dish, and I think it's just as good without the worry of stuffing.
Just in case, I serve plenty of wine before dinner, and drink plenty myself!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

snowrooster, bacteria grows when food is between 40F and 140F. You want to get the stuffing out because if it starts cooling too quickly in the cavity, you run the risk of bacteria growing.

Many stuffing recipes call for eggs which makes even more necessary.

So is somebody traveling to Istanbul?

I saw something on our noon news about soaking it overnight in a brine and herb mixture. Some of the specialty markets sell it in a jar.

snowrooster-If you do a &quot;google&quot; search you can probably find all kinds of great information.

Only 2 important steps. First, make sure you take out the nasty parts they package inside the bird (neck, heart, pancreas, appendix and God knows what else) before you roast it.

Second, you need wine - for the cook during the cooking time and for the guests - if you undercook or overcook the turkey, no one will notice if you serve enough wine.

Hi snowrooster -
The stuffing will be safe if you take it out of the turkey immediately. The turkey needs to sit for around 20 minutes. The stuffing can be put in a casserole and stuck back in the oven to keep it hot. Cover it with foil if you don't want the top to get crunchy. Right after dinner refrigerate any leftover food. I love to put everything (turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, veggies) in a big pot on Friday and heat it all up. Don't worry about anything. A turkey is one of the easiest things to cook. Stick it in and keep an eye on it.

Budman will love this one....my dh basted our Turkey with beer last year. It turned out very moist and juicy. I wonder if you can do the same with wine?

For those who asked:
(From R5's Turkey Survival file)

Turkey Brine
2 1/2 Gal. cold water
2 C. Kosher salt
1 C. Sugar
2 Bay leaves
1 bunch fresh thyme or 4 Tbls. dried
1 whole head of garlic cloves, separated and peeled
5 whole allspice berries,crushed
4 juniper berries,crushed

Place the water in a large non-reactive
container which easily holds the
liquid and the bird.
Add all ingredients and stir until
sugar and salt dissolve.
Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Ig turkey floats to top, cover with
plastic wrap and a plate with cans
to weight it down,
Keep it completely submerged.
Rinse,pat dry, roast.
down.

This brine recipe is from Chez Panisse
and is printed in the SF Chronicle
every year. We have used it faithfully
in the past and it truly makes a
difference.
Yum!
R5

Just discovered my turkey is too big for my new roasting pan, so I'm off to return it and look for a bigger one. I also made the mistake of purchasing a &quot;hand wash only&quot; tablecloth - no thanks - it will be return #2. Goodness gracious, let the festivities begin!!

snowrooster, will your larger pan fit in the oven?

buckeyemom, I just might try a little white wine on Thursday morning. ((b))

Well snowrooster since I have never roasted a turkey that pleased me I did a sneaky. I told my SIL when he first arrived here from Rome that to be a true American he had to learn to roast the turkey. He is a fantastic cook. But had no idea what to do with a turkey. But went on google, did a lot of reading and WOW!! The first turkey he roasted was to die for.

So clever me, I now get to sit and visit and sip on wine during the afternoon.

Even gave him my huge roasting pan for his very own. He was thrilled. But not as thrilled as I am.

And snowrooster, when you replace that &quot;hand wash only&quot; tablecloth, make sure you don't buy one that says &quot;dry clean only&quot;. No, no you don't want that either.

The dinner will all work out, honest.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I've finally mastered pullling the plastic thingie out of the turkey before stuffing it &amp; cooking. And, I do stuff the bird, and never have had a problem. (We do take all the stuffing out asap) BUT I have never mastered the &quot;how long should it cook&quot; business. Every year brings more trauma....is it done? Is it TOO done? The directions never seem right. Any words of wisdom?

Oh good grief, I should use the Edit button more. When I said my dear SIL's first roasted turkey was to die for - well I did NOT mean as in food poisoning. Good heavens! I meant it was the best roasted turkey I had ever eaten.

Snowrooster, look at

www.butterball.com

for easy, explicit instructions (even if you're not cooking a Butterball!)

I have never before now heard about removing the stuffing immediately, and I've been cooking turkeys for about 27 years now.

What I have heard, every year, is do not make up the stuffing until right before you're going to stuff the bird. And, do not stuff the bird until right before you put it into the oven.

Cut any leftover meat from the carcass before refrigerating.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I still say a Reynold's turkey bag....snip the bag as soon as you take it out, then voila...a masterpiece IMO.

Judyrem--I agree with you, we've used the bags before with great results. The only &quot;problem&quot; I've encountered using them involve removing the bird from the bag. Any tips on removing the bird, preserving the juices for gravy?