It says much about our quick-moving, quick-cooking lifestyle that a holiday turkey is often the largest piece of meat a home cook will prepare during the year. What follows is a cook’s primer for roast turkey (along with a few tips to make this classic dish your very own).
FRESH OR FROZEN?
Turkeys until recently were mostly sold frozen, produced by commercial poultry farms. Today, turkeys can be obtained fresh as well as frozen, sometimes locally grown, and often cage-free.
A fresh turkey should be ordered ahead of time from your butcher or even your supermarket. Reserve a fresh turkey at least 2 weeks before your event. It can wait safely in your refrigerator for up to 48 hours before cooking.
Fans of fresh turkeys cite their superior flavor, lower fat-content, and freshness as their main advantages. Like all fresh meat, though a fresh bird may require extra attention, just when you are cooking other dishes.
Frozen turkeys from large producers offer crystal-clear directions and reliability. Self-basting frozen turkeys offer additional guarantees of moist cooking, because both broth and additional fat have been added to the bird.
Purchase frozen turkeys 48-72 hours before cooking, and thaw completely in refrigerator. The USDA cautions against rapid thawing in hot water or at room temperature; to prevent possible salmonella or other bacterial growth.
HOW MUCH DO I BUY?
Allow 1 lb. of turkey per person. Turkey bones constitute approximately half the weight of a whole bird; the l lb. allowance gives you generous first servings, plus seconds or leftovers.
HOW LONG DO I COOK IT?
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Allow 15 minutes per pound for unstuffed turkey, 20 minutes per pound for stuffed. Add a “rest period” of 15-20 minutes at the end of cooking. That lets juices resettle in the meat and prevents meat from tearing during carving. The “rest period” also gives you time to turn pan-juices into gravy.
EQUIPMENT
1) A sturdy roasting pan. Disposable foil roasters perform well. For a bird over 12 lb., consider buying two foil pans and doubling them for strength.
2) Aluminum foil. The breast can be kept moist while the legs finish.
3) A roasting rack. This option makes it easier to spoon drippings over a roasting bird and lift the finished bird from the pan.
4) A large spoon or small ladle. Even self-basting birds benefit from occasional basting with seasoned cooking juices.
5) Meat thermometer. Your turkey is ready to rest when it shows a temperature of 160 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. (Insert thermometer in stuffing; temperature should read 165 degrees, per the USDA.)
6) Skewers and white twine.
WHAT ABOUT STUFFING?
Your stuffing recipe will usually indicate how large a bird it will fill; 8 cups of stuffing are usually sufficient for an 8-12 lb. bird. Make stuffing ahead, but do not stuff the bird until you are ready to cook. Pack it loosely in the body and neck cavities; secure neck skin with skewers and tie legs with twine.
READY TO COOK
Rub skin with ½ stick butter or 4 Tbsp. olive oil. Season and place in a 350 degree oven.
YOUR OWN TOUCHES
An unstuffed turkey cavity can be filled with onion, apple, lemon or orange quarters, a bunch of fresh thyme or sage, or a mixture of chopped onions, garlic, celery and carrots to enhance flavor. Adding a can of chicken broth or 2 cups of orange juice, white wine, or apple cider to the pan enriches juices to spoon over the roasting bird.
