how do you cook a turkey?

Answer 1

With heat. Honestly you need to be a little more specific.
You can fry, bake, roast, microwave, boil, and pretty much cook anything anyway you want to it all comes down to preference.

Answer 2

after it is completely thawed out and the body parts are removed from the whole in the body by the legs. such as the neck, giblets,liver. usually in a bag. you place the turkey in a big enough roasting pan that will hold it and the juices that are going to be made while the turkey cooks.wrap the pan over the top with aluminum foil closing it in after the turkey has been placed in the pan. you should preheat the oven at 325 degrees about 5-8 min before placing it in. cook the turkey 1 hour for every 4 pounds of weight. during the last 30 minutes of cooking remove the foil from the top of the roasting pan and let the cooking finish. this makes the turkey turn a nice brown color. hope this helps you.

Answer 3

1. thaw. If it's still frozen now, and you want to make it for Christmas dinner, take it out of the freezer, and, in the original wrapper, set it in some cold water. Change the water often, every hour or so until thawed. should take about 8-10 hours. You can then refrigerate it until ready to cook.

2. unwrap your turkey, and make sure you pull the gizzards out of it. They are usually inside the turkey in a plastic or wax paper wrapper. set the gizzards aside, you'll use them later.

3. Season the turkey to your tastes. Get the seasoning inside and outside of the turkey for best flavor.

4. If you want to stuff it, now's the time to do it, but personally, I don't recommend it. You can get the same flavor by merely using turkey broth instead of water when you make your stuffing. Also, an unstuffed bird cooks faster.

5 pre-heat your oven to about 325-350.

6. Using a turkey rack, pour a little bit of water inside of a turkey pan (not alot just enough to come up a quarter of an inch or so). set the rack in the pan, set the bird on the rack.

7 cover the pan and put it in the oven. about 12 minutes a lb should do.

8. when you think the bird might be ready, according to your calculations, take the lid off and shove a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh, if the thermometer reads 170 deg or more, and the juices run clear, you're done. pull the turkey out and let it rest for about 1/2 hour.

9. if you want to make the bird look pretty, during the last half hour of roasting, you can take the lid off and spread a little butter or vegetable oil on the breast and raise the oven to about 400 degrees.

10. carve and serve, you're done.

Oh, the gizzards and the neck... use those to make your broth. In a pot of water, add your gizzards, neck, salt, pepper and any other seasonings you'd like, along with some carrots and celery. You'll use some of this broth for gravy, some of it for your stuffing, and even some for your potatoes, if you wish.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Answer 4

the perfect turkey

INGREDIENTS
1 (18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine
DIRECTIONS
Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

Answer 5

If you are planning on Turkey for 1 O'clock Christmas lunch, your Turkey should be out of the oven, half a hour before. Based on your cooking time then it should be in the oven around eight O'clock in the morning. Considering Christmas breakfast, plan additional time to work on your Turkey. Preferably get your Turkey thoroughly thawed in the evening before. (Thawing will need at least 10/12 hours). Also buy lots of bacon rashes, which should be used to cover Turkey breast and thighs during cooking to save it from burning. This also ensures that turkey is cooked through and through but will still retain its moisture.
Buy lots of Cranberry sauce and lots of vegetables so you can adjust unexpected extra guests you may have.
For stuffing use mixture made from chicken mince, pistachio,worcester sauce, mustard sauce, finely cut onion, carrots, leak, rum or brandy and cream. Preferably cook this seperately in a roll made with tin foil and insert it the turkey in the last 40 minutes.
Marinate the bird overnight with lime juice, orange juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. For added flavour use ginger paste, spice and herbs of your choice. Use orange and lime remains to keep in the cavity of turkey while roasting. This will give lovely, natural aroma to the bird. During roasting, turkey will give away lots of dark brown oil. This should be used for basting the bird from time to time. Specially in the last 40 minutes to make the bird crisp from outside. Also remove the bacon strips in the last 40 minutes and keep aside.
Prepare and boil all vegetables you are going to use in advance. Just before serving toss this vegetables along with bacon strips removed earlier in a hot pan with little butter. Use this as a bed to serve the turkey in a big serving plate.
Turkey gizzards and liver make a very strong flavoured broth so if you prefer use only neck and broth from vegetables to make the gravy. Add chicken stock if needed.
Merry Christmas.

Answer 6

I cook mine in an electric roaster. It doesn't turn out a pretty brown like when you bake it in the oven; however, it is quicker and the turkey is very, very moist.

Just put it in the roaster (I always add a little water to the bottom of the roaster to start it steaming). Set the temp on 350 degrees. Most turkeys have the little timer button. When the timer pops out, it is done.

Answer 7

You already have some good answers but I would encourage you to get a "Joy of Cooking", cook book. When I first started cooking I had trouble even if I had a recipe because I didn't even know the basics of cooking.

This cook book explains everything from A to Z and explains all the cooking terms.

Answer 8

1. turn on oven to 325
2.remove the guts(most important)
3.rinse it
4.rub it with spices
5.stuff bacon under the skin of the breast
6.put water in a turkey pan about 2 inches
7.put turkey in pan
8.squeeze lemon juice all over turkey
9. cover with lid/foil
10. depending on the size between 20-24lbs cook 4 1/2- 5 hours
11.BASTE often for juicer turkey

Answer 9

for every 4 pounds it's an hour in the oven so if you have a 12 pound bird it's 3 hours. Now, if your adding stuffing inside the bird add an extra half hour. simple route to seasoning it is melted butter, put sage, and salt all over the bird. lift the skin up where the breast are and add some melted butter to it to keep the bird moist. cover and put it in the oven at 350 degrees. the last 45 mins uncover so you can get that golden texture.

Answer 10

I cook mine in a turkey cooker I bought at walmart,