• The temperature of the oven should be accurate.
• Clean and thaw the turkey safely and totally. Place the frozen turkey in the refrigerator to thaw it safely. Placing it in a microwave or running cold water over it is not safe, because it may lead to the growth of bacteria in it.
• Be sure to remove the giblets and the neck from the inside of the turkey.
• If you are thawing a turkey using the water bath method, make sure that the turkey is in a sealed bag and is placed in cold water. Change the cold water after every 30 minutes.
• It is advisable to thoroughly wash everything that came in contact with the raw turkey.
• Don't touch anything else for sometime after touching the raw turkey.
• While measuring the temperature of the turkey, insert the meat thermometer to the thickest part of the thigh, and avoid touching the bone.
• Defrosting the turkey may take as long as 3 days.
• The roasting pan you are using to place your turkey in should be large enough for your turkey.
Here is an ideal step by step procedure on how to cook turkey :
• The oven should be pre-heated to 475°F.
• Melt some butter.
• The skin should be gently separated, not removed, from the breast. Rub the melted butter on the breast between the skin and the meat.
• Put a little bit of rosemary and thyme between the skin and the meat on the breast.
• Put salt and pepper on the outside of the skin. This will make the skin crisp.
• The stuffing should be cooked separately and not placed in the turkey.
• Place the turkey in a covered roasting pan and place it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. This will help to keep it juicy and moist.
• Now the heat should be reduced to 250°F and cooked for an additional 20 minutes for each pound. This will prevent over-cooking. The turkey should be slow cooked.
• Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature of the turkey. The interior breast meat should be 170°F and the thigh meat should be 180°F.
• Take out the turkey from the oven and leave it uncovered for 20 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute themselves inside the turkey and will make it easy to carve.
• To carve the roasted turkey, place it on a platter with the breast side facing up. Pull the drumsticks away from its body and cut through the indentation between the drumstick and the body. At the same time, bend the drumstick back away from the turkey.
• Cut the turkey wings.
• Slice the turkey breast meat.
Turkey is a delicious as well as nutritious dish. 3 ounce of boneless and skinless turkey can give 26gms of protein, 1 gm of fat and 0 saturated fat. A ten pound turkey is enough to feed about seven people. There are various cooking magazines and websites which can provide you tips and recipes to cook a turkey. Some complicated recipes may include white beans, spiced green chillies and onions. They can be made with citrus and garlic flavours. Some recipes inject vinegar, citrus juice, herbs and wine into the turkey too.
Cooking a turkey is a must on Thanksgiving Day. It can be fried, oven-roasted, grilled, barbecued or smoke cooked. You can choose boneless turkey breasts or a whole frozen turkey; depending on the way you are going to cook it.
How to cook turkey perfectly is a secret to be revealed. Most people over-cook the turkey, leaving it dry. Here are some tips to make a mouth-watering, juicy, moist and delicious turkey: