Tomorrow is thanksgiving and there isn’t much that is easier to prepare and cook than roast turkey. I should be keeping that a secret because the news media loves to spend the week before thanksgiving making the whole turkey cooking process sound difficult and look like magic. Yes I know they can be deep fried or put on the grill but turkeys cooked that way won’t be as tasty as my slow roasted never over cooked bird.
Is there anything more disgusting than a cold raw turkey in the early A.M.? For those of you who have never cooked the bird this is what it looks like:
raw turkey
Turkeys are very easy to cook. You just roast them, which involves putting them in the oven or electric roaster and setting a timer. Where most people go wrong is by not using a meat thermometer and or by cooking the bird too long and at too high of a temperature or by listening to the talking heads on the morning news. Use the Betty Crocker roasting chart. I won’t tell you how many years that has worked for me.
Please don’t overcook your turkey. If your turkey is dry it is because you over cooked it. I don’t care if you deep fried it or put it on the grill or cooked it in the oven. Read my lips. If the turkey is dry you over cooked it! Please use a meat thermometer and keep an eye on it.
Turkeys can be cooked rapidly at 450 or so, but the easiest way is to put it in an electric turkey roaster or in the oven at 325 to 350 and just ignore it. I like to start with a fresh turkey, never a frozen turkey and cook it in an electric roaster because it frees up the oven and requires almost no effort on my part.
Clean up is simple too. The only challenge is finding a place to store the electric roaster but as a Realtor I can help you find a bigger home with more storage space if needed.
The FDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 165 . . if you don’t want to risk food poisoning. personally I go for up around 180 degrees.
roast turkey
Have a happy thanksgiving and don’t stress over the turkey. Worry about the stuffing or the pies or the rolls.
I have never understood why the media make such a big deal about cooking a turkey. All you have to do is follow the directions that come with it. I’ve cooked a turkey just find and I’m a vegetarian and don’t even eat it!