Cooking for the first time, I need a simple recipe for turkey?

Question

After searching and looking at 2 million recipes online, (and looking up the dictionary 10,000 times) I need a recipe for roasting a thanksgiving turkey (10-15 lbs) from the scratch... Thank you in advance....

Answer 1

Thaw turkey & take out neck & gizzards(some people forget!). Rinse inside & out w/cold water. Pat outside w/paper towels. Salt inside cavity. You should stuff to make a moister turkey & better tasting stuffing(use bagged stuffing, follow directions on bag & add an apple to help keep moist. I also add onion & celery, & a little sage). If stuffing, make sure to tie together so stuffing doesn't escape. For turkey baste: melt 2 sticks butter, add a few teaspoons poultry seasoning, rub all over turkey, don't forget between wings & drumsticks. Bake at 325 for about 18 minutes per pound. If you have a rack to place the turkey on, it's easier 'cause bird won't stick to bottom of pan. If you get a turkey with a pop-up thermometer, that's best. I baste my turkey every 20 - 30 minutes to keep moist. Also....if turkey gets too brown before done, put foil over really brown parts so they don't burn (this happens sometimes to legs, wings). Let your bird sit w/foil over it, about 10 minutes b4 cutting.
If you are making mashed potatoes, I save the water to make my gravy. (you can make potatoes early & heat up when dinner is ready. Cut potatoes in small pieces & boil till soft, remove from water, add a few tablespoons butter, milk & some sour cream. Hurry & beat b4 they cool too much or they will get lumpy). When bird is done, remove from pan, add potato water to bird pan & put on high heat. Scrape turkey drippings from pan & stir. In small bowl: use COLD water, add a few Tablespoons flour, salt & pepper & this liquid stuff called Gravy Master. Mix & add to potato water when boiling. Make sure to keep stirring. It will gradually thicken. Makes the BEST homemade gravy. Strain when ready & serve. All this is very easy!!!!!

Answer 2

It has to be thawed first (and when it is, check inside the cavity and take out the giblet bag containing the heart, liver, gizzard, and neck). Cook breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan (you can get one of those disposable aluminum ones cheap) at 325 degrees for 20 minutes per pound of turkey. An extra 20 to 30 minutes won't hurt. If skin on breast and legs starts to turn too dark towards the end of cooking, place some aluminum foil over it. That's the simplest. You don't need to salt or pepper it. Stuffing and gravy are pretty simple too, but you didn't ask for that.

Answer 3

You need to cook it for about 20 minutes per pound, that's one of the main things you need to know. So like a good 14-pounder would be cooked for about 4 hours and 40 minutes. Try to baste with olive oil or melted butter in the beginning and halfway through, and cook about 350 degrees Farenheit unless the bag the turkey comes in says otherwise. If you have a meat thermometer, that will help you incredibly. Take note that the legs take longer to cook than the actual body of the chicken since the meat is denser in the legs, so when the legs are done, your whole turkey is done. The classic way to spice it up is stuffing it, you could try herbs, vegetables, stuffing, or any combination of the three. You could even stuff it with another meat, an old trick is to stuff a chicken breast inside a duck and stuff the duck inside of the turkey - a "turducken" - I think that's how it's spelled. Umm, I think that's all... I hope I helped!

Answer 4

I think it's about 15-20 min a pound UNSTUFFED, at 350 degrees. HOWEVER, I like to rub some olive oil on the skin, a dash of garlic and pepper and turn the oven up HIGH, like 400 degrees for the first 1/2 hour--this sears the skin and seals in all the juices.
And then I turn the heat down. Cook til done (use a meat thermometer, make sure you use it properly, too!) and I NEVER baste--NEVER ever! No need to baste.

Good luck and happy day of turkey eating to you and yours!

Answer 5

Rinse the turkey thoroughly with water, remove neck,giblets,etc and place in pan of water and cook over medium heat approx 1 hour. Take 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup celery, cooked neck,giblets,etc (cut up small pieces), small bag stuffing mix (sage & onion), 1 egg, 1/2 cup rasins. Mix together using water from cooking meat to moisten. After rinsing turkey dry with paper towel, and make sure clean inside and out. Place stuffing inside turkey, place in roasting pan. Wipe down the outside of turkey with either butter or olive oil. Using aluminum foil tent turkey. Place in 325 degree oven and cook approx 4 hours. Remember to check turkey once and awhile and baste as needed. The last 1/2 hour to 45 minutes remove foil and allow turkey to brown. Enjoy!

Answer 6

20 mins per lb and 20 mins over. rub the bird with some butter and cover with rashers of bacon.
Cover with foil and roast on high for first 20 mins then turn it down.
Better than foil if you can get on in the USA turkey roasting bags. Flour the bag with flour salt and pepper. Close bag and shake to coat the inside. Put your bird inside and tie off the end. Snip one corner of the bag to allow the steam out (small snip) roast according to times above.

Have a wonderful day tomorrow oh and serve yer bird with stuffing on the side.

Answer 7

It should be patted dry before putting it in the oven (you can't do that if it's frozen). Take it out of the fridge later tonight and let in sit in a brine mixture of 1/4 gallon of Chicken broth, and 1 1/4 gallons of water 1 cup of salt & 1 cup sugar, rosemary thyme garlic. Do this for like 2 hours, remove then pat dry. Rub some butter and garlic on the outside and inside then let sit for about 45 minutes before cooking. It should cook 15minutes for each lb.

Answer 8

First time cooking and you're making Thanksgiving dinner?? How very ambitious of you! I'm impressed! Don't sweat it. Roasting a turkey is easy. Check out www.butterball.com. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 9

take about 2 sticks of butter let them get to room temp. chop up some herbs ( I like rosemary on turkey) what ever you like add zest from a lemon and an orange, salt & pepper
to the butter put it under the skin of the turkey and on the outside. Put onions, oranges, lemons, garlic inside the bird. bake like the package says. I promis it will be great.

Answer 10

try