cabbagehead
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Turkeys are big. They take a long time to cook, and a long time to thaw, which means if they aren't handled correctly they can spend a lot of time at temperatures that promote bacteria growth. If you bought a frozen bird, it will need to be thawed before cooking. It will need to sit in the refrigerator 24 hours for every five pounds of meat. If you have a large bird, or you want to speed up the process, place it in a cooler filled with cold water. Change this water every half-hour. If you started with a frozen bird, thawing should take an hour for every two pounds of meat. You will know your turkey is thawed completely when the leg and wing move freely. Remove the organ bag inside the turkey.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. If you want a perfectly-done turkey, use a meat or probe thermometer. Put the probe into the thigh meat as deep as you can without touching the bone. It should reach 180 degrees. A 10-15 pound turkey will cook in three to three-and-a-half hours. Add another half-hour for each additional five pounds of turkey, and another 30-45 minutes if your bird is stuffed.
Want crispy skin? Try Alton Brown's method:
Note that he's taking the temperature from the breast, which is white meat and only needs to reach 161 degrees. This will work, but a meat thermometer in the thigh is much easier to read.
 Posted 5416 day ago
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