Don’t be intimidated this year! Just follow our turkey guide and you’ll be rockin’ and rollin’ in no time.
key equipment:
roasting pan with rack
stuffing bag
fat seperator
carving knife and fork
whisk
trussing needles
meat thermometer
cooking twine or stuffing needles
flavor injector
baster or basting spoon
chinois
What size turkey do I get?
We often like to think that the best part of the turkey dinner are leftovers! With that in mind, we recommend to count on 1 ¼ pounds of meat for each person.
What should I cook my turkey in?
You want to roast your turkey on a wire rack in an open, sturdy roasting pan. We’ve got one to fit each budget and size of turkey. Using the rack allows you to collect all the turkey drippings which you’ll later use for your gravy.
To stuff, or not to stuff?
Personally, we love a good stuffed bird. However, it is imperative you test the temperature of the stuffing – like turkey, it should be cooked to 165 degrees before eaten. If you’re a southerner and want “dressing”, go ahead and make your stuffing in a casserole dish and not in the bird. You may want to add a bit of stock, if using this method, as it may often dry out.
How do I get a perfectly juicy bird?
There are several ways to ensure your turkey is perfectly moist.
Brining is a popular way to do this. In a brining bag resting in a roasting pan, place your turkey and your brine. The basic ratio for turkey brine is two cups of kosher salt to two gallons of water. Some recipes include sweeteners or acidic ingredients to balance the saltiness.
Basting your turkey ensures a crisp and moist skin. There are many tools to use to do this, from a traditional baster to a basting spoon. Other tools to use are a silicone basting brush to spread juice over the skin of your bird.
You want to allow your turkey to rest after removing from the oven before carving. This will ensure the juices are reabsorbed into the meat. Usually a rest of about 25 to 30 minutes is enough. While resting, you can loosely cover your bird in foil, and then focus on making your gravy!
How long do I cook my turkey for?
For unstuffed, defrosted turkeys we like to use the following guide. Prepare to defrost your turkey a few days prior in your fridge. Also, these times are for a turkey roasted at 400F, breast side down, for the first 45 minutes, then turned breast-side up and roasted at 325F until done.
0-12 pounds 2.5-3 hours
12-14 pounds 2 ¾ to 3 ¼ hours
14-16 pounds 3 to 3 ¾ hours
16 -18 pounds 3 ¼ to 4 hours
18-20 pounds 3 ½ to 4 ¼ hours
20+ pounds 3 ¾ to 4 ½ hours
For stuffed turkeys, be sure to stuff it just before it goes into the oven. Truss up the cavities (yes, we will get you set up with the right gear) and you’re good to go. For ease of removing the stuffing from the bird, you can make a pouch with cheesecloth or use a stuffing bag, fil with stuffing, insert into the bird and voila! Stuffing!
To make sure your stuffed turkey cooks evenly, roast your bird breast side up at 325, with the breast covered loosely with foil for the first 2/3 of cooking time. Using the turkey times for an unstuffed turkey depending on the size, but be sure to add about 30 extra minutes to the cooking time to make sure the stuffing gets to 165 degrees.
After the meal:
Remove all the meat from the bird before you refrigerate the leftovers. You can also use the carcass to make a delicious stock for soups. Using the stock is a great way to make sure the leftover meat doesn’t dry out when reheating. Pour a bit of it into a pan, and place meat directly over it and put into the owven until warm. If you don’t have time, or are too tired and full Thanksgiving night, you can always wrap the carcass and put it in the freezer - you can always boil it down with extra meat for soup at a later date!
The spoons are available in 3 sizes -
Rainbow wood egg cups - $5.99 each
The scoops are prefect for coffee, flour, or just for lookin’ cute!
This sells for $14.99!
Blue Q “vegetarians” tea towel - $9.99
Cupcakes oven mitt - $7.99
Funktion aprons (and tea towels and tablecloths!)
(photo from Whipped Bakeshop on flickr)
(We love Marty, but by the looks of this, we have tough competition for his affection!)
Thankfully, in the above picture, I was wearing sunglasses so you couldn’t see the shit-eating, drunk, fan girl eyes I was rocking. However, due to some liquid courage - I did something I have never, EVER done - requested a signed menu. And, you know what? It’s pretty rad.
Kitchn Glam Apron in Mademoiselle pink - $32.99
KitchenAid 90th Anniversary Stand Mixer - $349.99
David Chang’s Momofuku Cookbook - $40.00
Riedel O glasses -$21.99-$24.99
