Preparing A Turkey For Cooking

• Buy 1 pound of turkey per person for turkeys that weigh 12 pounds or less; 3/4 pound per person if the turkey is over 12 pounds; 1/2 pound per person for bone-in turkey breast.
• Unwrap the defrosted turkey. Free legs from tucked position. Do not cut band of skin over legs. Remove neck and giblets from both cavities. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry.
• Stuff body and neck cavities lightly, if desired. Use 1/2 cup stuffing per pound for turkeys under 10 pounds; 3/4 cup per pound for turkeys over 10 pounds. Add 30 minutes to roasting time for stuffed turkey.
• Tuck drumsticks under band of skin or tie together loosely with string or thread. Fold neck skin under the back and hold in place by twisting wing tips under the back, or secure with a small skewer. Proceed with directions for cooking a turkey by following the method that best fits your time schedule and desired cooking results.

Situation: Getting a large turkey done without having to start in the middle of the night.

• Using the foil wrapped or oven bag methods you can roast a 24 pound turkey in about 3-1/2 hours.
• Do not cook turkey all night at a low temperature.
• Cooking at low temperatures risks food poisoning.

Situation: Leaving cooked turkey and leftovers out for afternoon snack

• Refrigerate all leftovers.
• Keep in mind the two hour rule for food safety. Two hours is the maximum amount of time roasted turkey, stuffing and gravy can be left at room temperature.

Foil Wrapped Method

• A real timesaver, this method of cooking turkey requires a high oven temperature of 450 degrees F and heavy duty aluminum foil.
  
• Appearance—light golden brown with some variation in color. Skin is not as "crisp" as traditional foil tent roasted turkey.
• Advantage—often preferred for faster roasting time.

How To:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove neck and giblets from both cavities of defrosted turkey. Rinse turkey, pat dry and brush with vegetable oil.
• Tear off a sheet of 18-inch-wide heavy duty aluminum foil 2-1/2 times longer than the turkey. Place turkey, breast side up, in center of foil sheet.
• Bring long sides of foil over turkey; close loosely by overlapping the ends. Turn up short sides of foil to hold in juices. Do not seal airtight. Place foil-wrapped turkey in roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Insert meat thermometer into inner thigh for whole turkey or into thickest part of breast for turkey breast.
• Roast until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees to 185 degrees F for whole turkey or 170 degrees to 175 degrees F for turkey breast. For stuffed turkey, add 30 minutes to roasting time. To brown turkey, open and turn back foil 30 minutes before roasting is finished. The approximate roasting times are 1-1/2 to 2-1/4 hours for 8 to 12 lb. turkey; 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours for 12 to 16 lb. turkey; 2-3/4 to 3-1/4 hours for 16 to 20 lb. turkey; 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 hours for 20 to 24 lb. turkey. For easy slicing, cover turkey with foil and let stand 15 minutes after removing from oven.

Defrosting a Turkey

• Refrigerator Method Place turkey or turkey parts on a tray in the refrigerator in their original packaging. Allow the following amount of defrosting time: • Whole Turkey—24 hours defrosting time for each 5 pounds • Turkey Breast—1 to 2 days • Turkey Parts—24 hours
• Cold Water Method Place turkey or turkey parts in their original packaging under cold water in a sink or deep pan. Change water as often as needed to keep it cold. Allow the following amount of defrosting time: • Whole Turkey—30 minutes defrosting time for each pound • Turkey Breast—4 to 8 hours • Turkey Parts—2 to 2-1/2 hours

Oven Bag Method

• This is the self-basting method of roasting turkey. The turkey cooks up tender and juicy in a Oven Bag with no messy cleanup.
  
• Appearance—light golden brown with some variation in color. Skin is not as "crisp" as traditional foil tent roasted turkey.
• Advantage—often preferred for the most juicy turkey.

How To:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shake 1 tablespoon flour in turkey-size (19" x 23-1/2") Oven Bag. Use large-size oven bag (14" x 20") for 8 to 12-pound turkeys or for turkey breast. Use small size (10" x 16") for boneless turkey breast. Leave flour in oven bag. This helps blend the fats and juices and protects against bursting. Place bag in roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. The pan should be large enough that the oven bag does not hang over sides and does not touch oven walls or oven racks.
• Remove neck and giblets from both cavities of defrosted turkey. Rinse turkey, pat dry and brush with vegetable oil. Slice 1 onion and 2 stalks celery; place in oven bag. Place turkey, breast side up, in oven bag on top of vegetables. Close bag with nylon tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top of oven bag. Insert meat thermometer through slit in oven bag into inner thigh for whole turkey or into thickest part of breast for turkey breast.
• Roast until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees to 185 degrees F for whole turkey or 170 degrees to 175 degrees F for turkey breast. For stuffed turkey, add 30 minutes to roasting time. The approximate roasting times are: 1-1/2 to 2 hours for 8 to 12 lb. turkey; 2-1/2 to 3 hours for a 16 to 20 lb. turkey; 3 to 3-1/2 hours for a 20 to 24 lb. turkey.
• 16 to 20 lb. turkey; 3 to 3-1/2 hours for a 20 to 24 lb. turkey. For easy slicing, let stand in oven bag 15 minutes after removing from oven. To open, carefully cut or slit top of oven bag. If turkey sticks to oven bag, gently loosen oven bag from turkey before opening oven bag.

Helpful Hints: Stuffing

• Never stuff turkey ahead of time. Instead, mix dry ingredients for stuffing in advance. Then add liquid ingredients and stuff just before roasting.
• When roasting a stuffed turkey, add 30 minutes to the roasting time. The stuffing should reach a temperature of 165 degrees F. To check the stuffing, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the stuffing; let it stand 5 minutes.
• Bake extra stuffing in a casserole alongside the turkey during the last 30 to 45 minutes of roasting time.

How to Cook a Turkey in an Oven Bag

• Cooking turkey in a bag sounds strange, but its benefits are legion. A turkey roasting bag doesn’t just lock in juice and flavor—it contains the mess for easy clean-up. Or, you can use the drippings for gravy! Now that’s something to be thankful for.
  

Expert Tips from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen

• • Believe it or not, the skin will brown. To increase browning, brush the turkey with oil or butter before cooking. • Use care with the bag. If the bag touches the top or sides of the oven, it will melt. Be careful not to let the bag hang over the sides of the pan. Allow space for it to expand during cooking. • To check on your bird: Insert a meat thermometer right through the bag into the thigh (instead of trying to open the bag when checking the temperature). • After the roasting, wait. It’s best to let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before carving to lock in the juices. Remove from bag to a serving platter, tent with foil, then let stand before carving. • It’s all gravy: Yep, drippings left in bag can be used for gravy. • Wondering if you can cook a turkey in a paper bag (or other bag)? Definitely not! The glue, ink and other materials are not food-safe. Plus, you can never be sure how your bag will survive in the hot oven. Oven bags are made of heat-resistant nylon acceptable for cooking.

Equipment

• • Oven bag • Roasting pan (at least 2-in. deep) • Knife or kitchen scissors

• Prep your bag: Shake 1 Tbsp. flour into the bag (this will blend with the fat and juices to help prevent the bag from bursting). Place in a pan that’s at least 2 inches deep.
  
• Prep your turkey: Brush turkey with oil or melted butter and season with herbs/spices. Place inside the bag so the opening of the bag is situated to one side (not at top of turkey).
  
• Seal and Slit: Tie the bag closed with the enclosed nylon tie. Tuck ends of bag into pan. With a small knife or kitchen scissors, cut six ½-inch slits in bag to allow steam to escape.
  
• Cook: Bake at 350° (do not exceed 400°) until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170°-175°. When the bird reaches your desired temperature, carefully cut top of bag open with scissors and remove turkey.
  

Guidelines for a 13-pound bird:

• • A stuffed turkey takes longer. Expect approximately 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 hours to cook. • An unstuffed turkey will cook more quickly. Think about 2 to 2-1/4 hours to cook.

Stuffed and Roasted Turkey

• To prepare a whole turkey for cooking, rinse the bird well on the outside, as well as the body and neck cavities. Pat the bird dry with paper towels. If desired, rub salt inside the body cavity.
• For an unstuffed bird: place quartered onions, and celery in the body cavity, if desired. Pull the neck skin to the back and fasten with a small skewer. If a band of skin crosses the tail, tuck the drumsticks under the band. If there is no band, tie the drumsticks securely to the tail. Twist the wing tips under the back.
• For the stuffed bird: do not stuff until just before cooking. To stuff. Spoon some of the stuffing loosely into the neck cavity. fasten the neck skin as for an unstuffed bird. Lightly spoon stuffing into the body cavity. (put any remaining stuffing into a casserole and refrigerate. Bake the stuffing in a 325* oven for 40 to 45 minutes or in a 375* oven for 20 to 30 minutes) Secure the drumsticks and wings as for an unstuffed bird.

TIP: use a cheesecloth!

• The only problem with stuffing your bird? Removing stuffing from the turkey cavity can get complicated — and messy. Line the turkey cavity first with a cheesecloth that’s been folded in half, and then fill it with stuffing. That way, it’s easy to pull out the cheesecloth after roasting, and all of the stuffing comes out in one quick motion. See how she pulls it off below.
• Place the unstuffed or stuffed bird, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the center of one of the inside thigh muscles. The bulb should not touch a bone. (Most turkeys come with a PopUp that will tell you when it is done. If yours doesn't, you can insert one.)