for someone who hasn't ever made turkey on thanksgiving, what are a few must know tips?(proper way to clean

Question

Please help a young couple with suggestions on making their first Thanksgiving a good one. Neither of us know much about cleanning the turkey, etc thanks

Answer 1

You should start by defrosting the turkey over a period of days in the fridge, best not to let it defrost on the counter. Cleaning is pretty simple if you're talking store-bought. Stick your hands the cavity and pull out the neck, liver and giblets. These can be reserved for other uses if you like. I usually slice some onions and put those in the cavity while roasting and make sure you either butter or oil the bird inside and out and then S&P. Follow the roasting directions on the bird.
I usually cover my bird with a foil tent up to the last 30 minutes to prevent drying.
Feel free to email me if you like, I'll try to help out any way I can, I remember my first Turkey and while it seems intimidating, it's actually quite simple

Answer 2

Take out anything inside the bird after thawing several days in frig, depending on the size. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. For a brown skin, rub outside with a good veggie oil, I use Wesson either veggie or canola, not corn. Get a turkey size reynolds cooking bag and place in a shallow pan big enough for the turkey, if you use a foil pan, put a baking sheet under it for easier handling. Follow instructions on the recipe insert for the bag, I usually bake my turkey longer than it suggests because we like ours well done. (The bag keeps it moist.) So, use the times on the instructions as a guide, look at the turkey, if the skin is pale, it's not done. If the skin is browned unevenly, it probably needs another 15 -30 minutes. If the skin and meat are drawn back on the leg exposing the bone, IT'S DONE! Hope this helps! Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Answer 3

It's hard to say specific times and such because it really depends on the turkey. Here are a few of my key things. First, I try to get a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one. If I can't I defrost the turkey for a few days in the fridge. I take it out of the fridge and leave it on the counter for about 1 hour (it's easier to cook more evenly if it's not freezing cold before you begin to bake. And then yes, I do wash the turkey inside and out. Then pat it dry really well. Season the inside and out with salt and pepper pretty liberally. Then stuff your turkey with a quartered orange, a few sprigs of thyme, a couple of carrots, celery, a bay leaf, a half of a halved clove of garlic and a pice of smoked meat. You could even use a smoked turkey leg, I personally like a hunk of fat back, but that's up to you. Fill the cavity fully. Under the skin rub a whole bunch of butter. I tent the turkey for the first 1/2 of the cooking process then baste every 1/2 hour until it's done. I am assuming I don't have to say this, but don't eat the stuff in the cavity of the turkey.

Answer 4

Well, a lot of good advice..

One thing though, after you remove the neck and innards, you should rub the entire thing down inside and out with salt and rinse thoroughly - this will help kill any bacteria in/on the bird. It is also recommended that you don't "stuff" the bird because bacteria growth on the leftover stuffing will increase. That said, I still stuff my bird, but don't keep the stuffing left over. I make additional stuffing in pot that can be saved.

Another tip is to rub a little salt, pepper & butter under the skin of the breast by gently pushing under the skin by the neck. Get it as deep as you can and spread it all around.

Get a rack for your roaster so that your bird isn't sitting in the grease, etc. that will end up in the bottom of the pan.

Make you you are constantly basting the bird with the drippings in the bottom of the pan - we also add a bit of Vernor's ginger ale at the beginning to get the drippings started. You can use a baster, ladle or spoon.

Answer 5

It's really not that hard, just time-consuming. If you pay attention just a little, there's no "bad" way to roast a turkey; only varying degrees of "good".

I will assume, first of all, that you've purchased (or will purchase) a fresh, dressed turkey. In other words, you don't have to pluck it yourself! If it's frozen, allow it to thaw IN THE FRIDGE, in original wrapping, for at least 48 hours for an 8- to 10-pound turkey. For larger birds, allow an additional 24 hours per 4 pounds of turkey (in other words, a huge 20- to 24-pound bird would require 5 to 6 days to thaw fully). NOTE: a thawed turkey may safely remain in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. This is the easiest and safest way to do it. Under no circumstances should you allow the bird to sit on a countertop to thaw.

Unwrap the thawed bird, and remove the contents of the body cavity (a bag of "giblets", also known as "guts", and the neck of the turkey). The contents may be saved to use for stuffings, broths, or gravy; that's up to you. Otherwise, the contents may be discarded or frozen for later use.

Rinse the turkey, inside and out, with cool, running water. Allow it to drain for a few minutes, then pat the surface of the bird with paper towels to dry. Place the bird on a large rack, and place the rack into a shallow baking pan.

At this point, the rest is up to you. Cooking times are going to vary greatly, depending on the size of the bird. for the sake of simplicity, here is a link to the USDA's timetable:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp

Also, the way you season the turkey, and whether or not you put stuffing inside it, is up to you. Keep it simple, in any case. I recommend that you do NOT stuff the turkey---it's unnecessary. Cook and serve the stuffing separately from the turkey, to ensure that the turkey is cooked throughout, and that the stuffing remains safe to eat.

Answer 6

Please allow plenty of time for the bird to thaw if you buy a frozen one buying the bird a week before is ideal. Remove from the wrapper. rinse under cool water in your kitchen sink. Remove the bag of gibltes from the main cavity and the neck will be in there too usually loose. You can cook the neck in some water to create a quick turkey stock to use for gravy. The heart , liver and gizzard may be cooked and minced and added to your gravy or not . pat your turkey dry, salt and peper it rub with vegetable oil place on roasting rack breast side up. Cover breast with aluminum foil. I like to use a big roasting pan as it is easier to get in and out of the oven than the flimsier aluminum throw away types. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place roaster in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350. cook 20 minutes for each lb of meat. remove the aluminum foil for the last half hour. It is very important to allow the bird to sit lightly covered( i use the same foil with a kitchen towel over it.) for 20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to redistribute so they don't all run onto the platter. For a homemade gravy take the pan drippings and measure out a cup you can reserve the rest to make more gravy later for sandwiches. Add a cup of flour cook over medium heat for aprroximately 5 to 8 minutes until bubbly . Add your chicken or turkey stock or milk and keep stirring . For lump free gravy strain or throw in a blender...

Answer 7

All the above have very good ideas. The only thing I would add is to carefully wash any cutting board, counter or utensil that comes in contact with the raw turkey. You do not want to get food poisoning. Also do not put stuffing in until you are ready to bake the Turkey.

Answer 8

May I make a suggestion? If you are cooking for just 2 or up to 6 people, I would buy a turkey breast only. Roasting that will taste the same without all the hassle, but no leftovers!

Answer 9

Eek secret for moist, tasty turkey.

Most people roast their turkeys "breast up" .... However, if you are not taking photos of the bird. It will taste much better and be moister if you cook it breast down.

It is not necessary to oil your turkey when cooked breast down and..... For your health sakes please, please, do NOT add any more salt. Most frozen turkeys are brined. That means soaked in salt water....

I have to special order a turkey that has not been brined.

Best of luck.