tuuuuurkey time!

peaceistheway

okay, okay, a little early... but i'm getting antsy!

tell me how to make the best turkey! newlywed wife over here, and thanksgiving is at our house for the first time! i've cooked a turkey before, and it turned out pretty good, but please, dish your best secrets. i need to wow my family with my kitchen skills!

the turkey i made last year was stuffed with chopped carrots, celery, and onions, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and a little cajun something or other (can't rememeber now if it was paprika... something red, though!). i had a layer of water on the bottom of the roaster, and basted it periodically to keep it nice and juicy come carving time .

now... your turn !

getitdone

I have never cooked a turkey because we travel to both families on Thanksgiving, but I bet the ladies on What's cooking board have some great suggestions. Have fun - I am sure your turkey will be delicious!

WinnieD

I brine my turkey for 24 hrs before I start to cook it. I buy the Crate and Barrel mix but some people make their own. This made all the difference in the world! As for actually cooking it I just basted it with butter and had a stuffing cage inside the bird. I followed Pioneer Woman's instructions.

cjcouple

WinnieD:

I brine my turkey for 24 hrs before I start to cook it. I buy the Crate and Barrel mix but some people make their own. This made all the difference in the world! As for actually cooking it I just basted it with butter and had a stuffing cage inside the bird. I followed Pioneer Woman's instructions.

This!!  Brining is absolutely the best way. I will post my recipe in a couple days for you. So easy!!!  I got huge compliments and it was so moist and flavorful. I plan to do it again this year

I do stuffing on the side but I think I might do meat stuffing this year

Bena29

I never made a turkey before either. It is quite nerve wrecking to me the idea of perfecting a turkey. I always help my parents on thanksgiving with the cooking but never the turkey. Try going tp foodnetwork.com or allrecipes.com they have some pretty delicious looking recipes but I can't give you any personally. I am going to macy's tomorrow they have a martha stewart roaster on sale so MAYBE I might try to do the bird this year and surprise my parents MAYBE :-) Give me some encouragement.

peaceistheway

Bena29:

I never made a turkey before either. It is quite nerve wrecking to me the idea of perfecting a turkey. I always help my parents on thanksgiving with the cooking but never the turkey. Try going tp foodnetwork.com or allrecipes.com they have some pretty delicious looking recipes but I can't give you any personally. I am going to macy's tomorrow they have a martha stewart roaster on sale so MAYBE I might try to do the bird this year and surprise my parents MAYBE :-) Give me some encouragement.

 

good luck! i promise it's not as hard as it seems! it's only intimidating before you try to do it... my husband and i are going to do a test run just to brush up on turkey skills, but my best advice is to make sure you set aside a couple hours to pay close attention to the turkey . keeping it moist and basted is key! you'll do fine!

and ladies, thank you! i'll have to google this brining business... sounds delicious!

Bena29

@ Peace, You know my coworker told me to do the same thing. Do a test run a couple weeks before thanksgiving and see how it works out so maybe I will give that a try. I am currently googling brining also :-)

mbenit4

I have never cooked a turkey either. I usually order a fried turkey and cook everything else. This year we are even talking about not getting one since we will have ham and gumbo.