How To Make A Turkey

On your own for Thanksgiving and need to know how to make a turkey? Turkeys aren't difficult to cook-- but their size and the "holiday meal" aspect of the task may seem overwhelming, even if you cook the turkey on a regular day. The biggest factor in learning how to cook a turkey is realizing that different sized birds need to cook for different amounts of time; being able to tell when your turkey is "done" is important as well. If you've ever had bone-dry, stringy turkey then you already know what happens when you overcook a bird.

To make a turkey, you will need:

• fresh or defrosted turkey, 10-12 lbs
• roasting pan
• knife
• paper towels.
• meat thermometer
• aluminum foil
• stuffing mixture (optional, use your favorite recipe)
• butter
• oven (not a microwave)

How to make a turkey:

1. Preheat the oven: Turn the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Unwrap the turkey: Use the knife to slit the netting covering the turkey. Place the plastic wrapped turkey in the sink. Slice through the plastic as well and slip the turkey from the plastic. There will be some liquid (hence doing this in the sink) and the turkey will be slippery. Unhook the plastic or band that is holding the legs together, and set it aside.
3. Remove the giblets: Put your hand inside both cavities of the turkey (there will be a big one in the back near the legs and a small one in the front near the wings). Pull out the paper wrapped parcels lodged in these openings. These generally contain the turkey neck, heart and gizzards. Use these for another recipe or discard if you think they are gross.
4. Wash the turkey: Turn on the warm water and rinse the turkey inside and out in the sink. turn the water off and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a roasting pan with the breast side up. Fill the big cavity with prepared stuffing at this time (optional).
5. Butter the turkey: Cut a stick of butter into 1" chunks and rub all over the turkey. You can make a turkey without butter, but using it will make the turkey taste better and brown evenly.
6. Add water: Fill the bottom of the roasting pan with about 1/2" of water.
7. Add the thermometer: Jab the turkey in the fattest part of one leg with the meat thermometer, and leave the thermometer in place.
8. Tent the turkey: Make a cover for the turkey with aluminum foil. You may need to use two pieces to go over the turkey without touching it, like a tent.
9. Cook the turkey: Place the covered turkey in the oven. Close the door. Check the turkey in about two hours, then every half hour after that. The turkey is done when the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Tips:

• Size matters when you make a turkey. Bigger turkeys will need to cook for longer periods of time, so go by the thermometer, not a pre-set idea of how long the bird should cook.
• Stuffed birds may need to cook for a longer period of time than their unstuffed counterparts.