How Do you cook a turkey (serious answers)?

Question

Well my parents suck at cooking turkey and thats wat they bought for thanksgiving. Can anyone send me a recipe on how to cook a turkey?

Answer 1

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1197/perfturk.htmlhttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/236409
http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/cooking_class/turkey_school
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/turkey/techniques.html
http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html

Answer 2

I assume it is oven ready, remove anything loose or bagged inside it. Use this to make the stock for gravy. Weigh the turkey, then set the oven for 190 C. Then place in the oven, breast side down with a piece of foil over it to prevent burning the small parts.
Now cook it for 20 minutes per pond plus 20 minutes.
So a 10 lb turkey needs 10 x 20 minutes + 20 minutes = 220 minutes = 3 hours 40 minutes. About the last 30 minutes of cooking remove the foil, to allow the turkey to brown.

Answer 3

Easy way. Buy a roasting bag. Thaw and wash your bird, make a rud of 1 cup of salt, 1/2 cup pepper, #tablespoons each sage, rosemary,thyme and garlic. Frist rub bird with 1 stick of soft butter and then rud inside and out with the rub you made, stuff 1 whole onion, 2 carroits, 2celery sticks. Put in bag and cook 1hour for every 4 lb.
This is how I do it but there are hundreds of ways. You well get a lot from here pick the one you like the best and use it. There really is no way of doing it wrong. Just do notover cook. 150 on meat ther. and let it ste for 30 min.

Answer 4

1 (12 pound) turkey, see Cook's Note*
2 medium onions, quartered; plus 2 cups, peeled and chopped (about 2 more onions)
4 celery stalks, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 bunch fresh sage
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh savory leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Special equipment: roasting pan and rack and tightly fitting lid, turkey baster, instant read thermometer


Remove the center oven rack and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and rinse. Reserve for the dressing.

Place chopped onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick a few herbs off the stalks and add to the vegetables. Set aside.

Pat dry the turkey with paper towels. Season the cavity with kosher salt (approximately 2 tablespoons). Place the quartered onion and the remaining herbs inside the turkey cavity. Cover the tips of the wings with aluminum foil and truss the turkey (see Cook's Note**).

Rub the turkey with the softened butter. Place the turkey in the roasting pan breast side up on a roasting rack.

Place the turkey in the oven with the lid on. Baste every hour starting after the first 1 1/2 hours. Cook until an instant read thermometer inserted in the leg meat near the hip joint reads 160 degrees F (approximately 3 hours). Remove the lid and turn the oven up to 400 degrees F. Continue to cook the turkey for 20 to 25 minutes, until the turkey skin is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the leg meat near the hip joint reads 175 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the pan and let it rest in a warm place for 20 minutes before carving (see Cook's Note***.)

Place roasting pan over medium heat and add 1/2 cup of water. Use a wooden spoon to help release the drippings from the bottom of the pan. Using a fine sieve, strain drippings into a medium saucepot. Place the saucepot over medium heat.

Whisk the cream and flour together in a small bowl to create a smooth paste. Add a 1/2 cup of the pan drippings to the cream mixture and whisk together. Pour the cream mixture into the saucepot and whisk together. Cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the perfect turkey.

Cook's Notes: *We found that fresh turkey (one that has never been frozen) is substantially moister after roasting. ** To truss the turkey, securely tie the legs together with a long piece of butcher's string. Use the remaining ends of the string to tie wings snugly to the body of the chicken, then tightly knot the string near the neck to keep the turkey compact. ***Resting meat after the cooking process gives the meat time to redistribute its natural juices and makes it moister.

Answer 5

well. i am using Cajun Injector Turkey marinade. also slapping some of my dry rub on it. then stuffing it with cut up fruit pieces. then i am wrapping it in foil and putting it on the grill for about 3 hours. then i a shall remove the foil and add hickory chips to the fire and let it cook until it is done.
~peace~

Answer 6

Go to the grocery store and buy a Reynolds bake in bag (in the isle with the foil & stuff). The instructions are on the box -- verrrry juicy bird --- every time. YUMMM

Answer 7

Hi Mary,
I have the perfect answer to your question. My daughter, Crystal is a chef and she would be willing to help you if you called her. Her number is [phone]. Her turkey breast is so juicy that it might squirt you in the eye. I love my holidays because my daughter is very creative about what she cooks. She also has a catering service so if you live in the Georgia area or not, she will be able to cater to you.

Answer 8

buy a turkey roaster its a lot easier and don't forget to take out the neck and stuff a forgot one year

Answer 9

Either of these are great! Get them to let YOU do the turkey this year, and follow either set of directions explicitly! :-)

Perfect Roast Turkey

1 fresh turkey (12 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
3 Spanish onions
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted
1/2 cup good olive oil
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
10 red new potatoes, halved
3 heads fennel, fronds removed, cut into wedges through the core

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, one of the onions (quartered), and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey. Peel and slice the remaining onions, toss them with 1/4 cup olive oil, and scatter them around the turkey.

Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Toss the carrots, potatoes, and fennel with 1/4 cup olive oil and add to the roasting pan. Continue to roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

Stir the vegetables and return the pan to the oven. Continue to cook the vegetables while the turkey rests. Slice the turkey and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables. Serves 8.

--Ina Garten, Food Network
____________________________

ROASTED BRINED TURKEY
** start this one the day before serving it **

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

--Alton Brown, Food Network

Answer 10

http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/cachedSearchResults/0,7822,turkey_Recipe,00.html?searchType=Recipe&searchString=turkey&site=food


that should be helpful. Good Luck!!! I'm sure it will turn out great!

Answer 11

Frying it is the best way