What is the best way to cook a turkey?Need Help?

Question

Ok I have a 14 lb turkey that I have already put seasoning and butter on but I do not know how to cook it I wanted to cook it slow it doesnt have a pop up thing to know when it is done and I dont have a meat thermometer, so with cooking it slow I have read lots of different ways, like cooking it at 400 degrees for 15 min then lowering it to 325 but if I do that how long do I cook it for? wow this is hard , Havent cooked a turkey in over 15 yrs
any suggestions would be appreciated

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

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 F.

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

Answer 3

See if you can work that out

Turkey Cooking Times
Turkey Size Turkey Weight Cooking Times (approx)
Approx 45 minutes per kg
20-30 2.0-3kg 1hr 30 – 2 hrs 25
31-40 3.1-4kg 2 hrs 30 – 3hrs
41-50 4.1-5kg 3hrs 5 – 3hrs 45
51-60 5.1-6kg 3hr 50 - 4hrs 30
Approx 50 minutes per kg
61-70 6.1-7kg 5hrs 5 – 5hrs 50
71-90 7.1-9kg 5hrs 55 – 7hrs 30
91-110 9.1-11kg 7hrs 35 – 9hrs 10

Answer 4

cook turkey on 350 for atleast 8hrs.covered and spread with butter so it doesnt dry out use broth and spoon on to turkey!

Answer 5

280 minutes @ 300 Check after three hours, when the leg/thigh joint pulls aprt its done. cook it breast down to avoid tenting.

Answer 6

This recipe calls for roasting on high heat (475 degrees) for 2 hours only, no basting, turning once. You cover the tips of the drumsticks with foil, and the breast if the skin starts to get too dark. I made a 20 lb. turkey, and all the meat turned out moist and delicious.

This is a super easy recipe that I got from Safeway (large grocery food chain) around Thanksgiving. Unfortunately it calls for a meat thermometer, but a 14 lb. turkey according to the chart would take 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes.

I also found this on cookingvillage.com after doing a Google search for "Roasting Turkey" "checking for doneness".
No thermometer? Pierce the turkey with a fork—the juices should run clear, not pink. The meat should be fork-tender, the leg move easily in the joint.

Here is the recipe from Safeway:
INGREDIENTS·
1 frozen Manor House Turkey, 10 to 24 pounds, thawed ·
1-2 tablespoons O Organics™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil · Morton Coarse Kosher Salt ·
Safeway Coarse Ground Black Pepper ·
1 cup Safeway Chicken Broth (optional, for drippings)

NOTES 4-6 days before cooking: Thaw frozen turkey in the refrigerator. When you eventually cook the turkey, it should still be at refrigerator temperature (at room temperature no longer than 1 hour before cooking).1-2 days before cooking

Clean your oven to prevent smoking of burned-on grease when cooking at high heat. 40 minutes before cooking Preheat oven to 475º and use oven thermometer to check temperature. DO NOT USE A CONVECTION OVEN.

1. Remove and discard truss that holds turkey legs together. See Tip A. Remove giblets and neck from cavity and save for gravy. Pull or trim off and discard lumps of fat in neck and body cavity.
2. Rinse turkey inside and out with cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Place the adjustable V-shaped rack in a pan about 13 in. wide by 16 in. long and 3 in. deep (set rack sides so the bird is a minimum of 2 inches from pan bottom).
4. Rub turkey skin generously all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set bird breast-side-up on rack. Pull wings away from body, then firmly twist them to push the wing tips under the bird. See Tip B.
5. Using aluminum foil, form caps over the tips of each drumstick to prevent burning when roasting at high heat. If any parts of the turkey (such as the wings) extend beyond pan rim, tuck a foil strip underneath to make sure drippings flow back into pan. See Tip C. Leave legs untied. Do not add stuffing or close body cavity.
6. Insert the oven-safe meat thermometer near the center of the breast through the thickest part of the breast until the tip touches bone (the coldest part of the turkey and the most accurate spot to check doneness). See Tip D.
7. Verify oven temperature and set pan on the lowest rack in a 475° oven (do not use convection heat; it causes excessive smoking). Roast according to time chart at right, checking as directed during cooking, until thermometer reaches 160°. Halfway through roasting time, rotate pan in oven to assure even cooking and browning. See Tip E. If areas on turkey breast start to get browner than you like, lay a piece of foil over the dark areas. If there is any excessive smoke, check to see if drips are not being caught by foil; adjust foil as needed or slide a larger, shallow-rimmed pan under the roasting pan. Very carefully, wipe drips from oven bottom with a damp kitchen towel folded around a spatula.
8. Remove pan from oven, set in a warm spot, and loosely cover pan with foil to keep it warm. Rearrange oven racks to accommodate potatoes and dressing. Leave oven temperature at 475º. Let turkey rest 30 to 60 minutes. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to reach 165°, the USDA safe cooking temperature for poultry.
9. Insert a strong, long-handled carving fork or wooden spoon all the way into turkey body cavity; lift and carefully tilt turkey to drain juices from the cavity (be careful; there may be a lot of juice) back into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter or rimmed cutting board. Set aside juices in pan; you will use them later for making Amber Gravy.
10. To carve turkey, cut off legs at thigh joints. See Tip F. If joints are red or pink, return legs to the oven in another pan at 475º for 3 to 5 minutes or heat in a microwave oven for 3 to 4 minutes.
11. Carve the rest of the turkey (view Turkey Carving video for tips). Juices may be clear to pink or rosy; all are fine. Save juices to pour into gravy for richer flavor, if desired