Cooking a turkey?

Question

We are cooking Chritmas dinner at ours this year and we picked up a 19 pound frozen turkey. Any idea how long and what temperature to cook it at? I don't want to kill our dinner guests! (it's our first Christmas together)

I should mention that I was hoping to cook it from frozen. I don't have the room in my fridge to let it thaw.

Answer 1

Here are some helpful hints I found~ I fixed my first turkey a few years ago and wish I had consulted these sites!!! I ended up having to cook it another 1 1/2 hours, while everything else got cold. . . Good luck to you!

Start 5 to 5 1/2 hours before you want to serve the cooked turkey. Set the oven temperature at 325ºF. It is much better that the turkey be done 30 minutes before mealtime than to rush and serve an undercooked turkey. Remove the wrapping from the turkey and put the turkey on a rack on a pan that has been covered with foil to make cleaning easy. You can also cook the turkey in a covered roasting pan if you have one.
http://busycooks.about.com/od/thanksgiving/a/cookfrozenturke.htm?terms=cooking+turkey+in+a+bag
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that you use the time listed for the size turkey you have; then add 50 percent of that time to the original time. For example, a turkey that should take five hours to cook when thawed will take about 7 hours and 30 minutes to cook from frozen.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thanksgiving-turkey/AN01483
According to the USDA, it is safe to roast a frozen turkey in the oven. Keep in mind that it will take longer to roast a frozen turkey than a thawed bird. Check the recommended timetable for roasting and add 50 percent of that time to the original time. Don't prepare a frozen bird on the grill or in a microwave oven. Also, do not deep fat fry or smoke a frozen bird.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2005/frozenturkey.html

Answer 2

let it thaw in the fridge at least 3-4 days before your gonna cook it, i always cook mine in a cooking bag (easy cleanup) they are available at all the stores here..over by the foil wraps and stuff in the store. i also take some fresh sage.. chop it up mix it with 2 sticks of butter,, a little salt and pepper rub this mixture all under the skin and some on the outside also ( makes your white meat soooooo moist and yummy) bake it according to the directions on the cooking bag box. ( for a 19 lb... temp is 350 i believe.. for about 3-3.5 hrs for an unstuffed bird)

i make this like this every year.. alwayssss comes out good


i have never tried to make a turkey from frozen.. kinda hard to get the "stuff" out when its frozen ( gizzards and such) you could set it in a sink of cold water late the night before to thaw it out.. although not recommended by the food police ;)

Answer 3

Use a Reynolds Oven Bag...

Herb Roasted Holiday Turkey
http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/en/recipes/product_recipe_search.asp?Step=ShowRecipe&RecipeID=906&parent_info_page_id=744&info_page_id=745&prod_id=1790&cat_id=1337

Turkey with Sausage & Cornbread Stuffing
http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/en/recipes/product_recipe_search.asp?Step=ShowRecipe&RecipeID=1004&parent_info_page_id=744&info_page_id=745&prod_id=1790&cat_id=1337

Defrosting Turkey:

Recommended Methods
There are two recommended methods for thawing turkey: refrigerator thawing and cold water thawing. The important rule to remember for both methods is to keep your turkey cold while thawing. Do not thaw turkey on a kitchen counter.

Refrigerator Method
Place turkey or turkey parts on a tray in the refrigerator in their original wrapping. For whole turkey, allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. For turkey breast, 1 to 2 days. To defrost turkey parts, 24 hours.

Cold Water Method
For cold water defrosting, place your turkey or turkey breast in its original wrapping under cold water in a sink or deep pan. Change the water every 30 minutes, keeping the turkey submerged in the water. For this method, the defrosting time for a whole turkey is 30 minutes for each pound of turkey. For example, allow about 6 hours to defrost a 12 pound turkey. The defrosting time for a turkey breast is 4 to 8 hours.
http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/en/info_page/Defrosting_Turkey.asp

Answer 4

Here is a website with turkey info on it
hope it helps!

http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=56&id=641