Tips for Turkey...

peachexploration · Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 61 Location: Florida

Tips for roasting a turkey? Number one tip: Don't bake a 10 pound turkey for 10 hours. It doesnt take that long!!! :? :lol: 20 minutes per pound to start is a good rule to follow. Thaw it out completely before baking! :? :? This is why alot of times turkeys are dry. Buy your frozen turkey on Monday and leave it in the refrigerator to thaw until Wednesday. Rinse and season turkey thoroughly (inside and out). Check for giblets (inside and neck area). All this on Wednesday night and bake Thursday morning.

For stuffing/Dressing:
I usually don't stuff my turkey. :lol: :lol: (That sounds funny to me) But, heres a good recipe:

Rice Stuffing (make this the day before. Chill overnight)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup onion
1 10-3/4-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 envelope instant onion soup mix
4 cups cooked rice

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and cook about 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Stir in condensed mushroom soup, broth, and onion soup mix. Heat until bubbly. Stir in rice' remove from heat. Do not stuff turkey with hot stuffing. Should be completely chilled before stuffing. Also, do not fill turkey cavity completely. Only about 3/4 full. Stuffing needs to expand. And one more thing, add an additional 30-45 minutes to your cooking time when stuffing a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving. :D

peachexploration · Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 61 Location: Florida

Oh I forgot to add for overnight seasoning.

Try this:
After rinsing well, dry turkey off paper towels make sure no water is inside cavity. Rub salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and sage inside and out. Brush turkey with olive oil or butter.

cocodrilo · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 193 Location: Kurashiki, Japan

I always stuff my turkey, as the stuffing absorbs all the delicious turkey juices! Also remember a non-stuffed bird requires a shorter roasting time. Here are some guidelines;
A good roasting temperature is 325 degrees.
6-8 lbs - 3 1/2-4 hours
8-12 lbs- 4-4 1/2 hours
12-16 lbs- 4 1/2-5 1/2 hours
16-20 lbs- 5 1/2-6 1/2 hours
20-24 lbs- 6 1/2-7 1/2 hours

I lighly oil the outside of the turkey then cover it loosely with foil, pressing to secure it against drumsticks & neck. Remove foil teh last 45 minutes of roasting.
If the leg moves around easily in the socket, that's usually good indication that it's done! Remember to remove juices from the pan with a baster during baking for a fabulous giblet gravy!