Buying your turkey

Before you buy a turkey, work out how many guests you are going to have. You should have from one to one and a half pounds of turkey per guest.

Your next decision should be either buying a fresh turkey or a frozen one. A fresh turkey can save up on precious refridgerator space. A frozen turkey should be defrosted in a refridgerator. Allow one day every five pounds. For example, a ten pound turkey should defrost for two days.  

Brine

Brine is a natural saltwater solution. It helps to allow the turkey to absorb flavour and water, which means tastier and juicier meat.

To brine a turkey, dissolve two cups of kosher salt (and sugar, if you’re using it) in two cups of hot water. Add in an extra gallon of the above mix, as well as 3/4 cup of cold water. Remove the giblets.  Cover your turkey in this solution in a pan or a pot, and put it in the refridgerator for at least 8 hours, but no longer than 24.

Cooking the turkey

To cook your turkey, first remove the giblets if you havn’t already done so. Rinse the turkey with cold tap water (Whether you brined it or not), and pat it down dry with paper towels. If you have brined the turkey, note that it will have absorbed a substantial amount of salt, so don’t use a lot of salt in your recipe.

If you are using stuffing, stuff it loosely, and use 1/2 or 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey.

Brush the turkey skin lightly with melted butter or oil. If you have stuffed your turkey, tie the legs together with string (This is for stuffed turkeys only)

Stick a meat thermometer in the thigh of the turkey, the thermometer should point towards the body of the turkey and shouldn’t touch a bone in the turkey.

Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, and put it in a pre-heated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven.

Bake the turkey until the skin is a light gold colour. When the skin turns this colour, cover the turkey in a foil covering and bake for another 45 minutes until the skin turns brown.

To get roasting times, consult this chart