The Basic Stuffed Turkey
A beautiful turkey is the glorious centerpiece of a Thanksgiving table. The skin of the turkey should be golden brown and the inside moist and tender.
Yes, there are blackened turkeys and smoked turkeys and turkeys rubbed with herbs and spices. But if you want a traditional dinner, go for a good old-fashioned roasted turkey.
Roasted Turkey
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 5 hours 50 minutes
To roast turkey unstuffed, season bird with salt and pepper to taste inside and out. If desired, insert pieces of celery, carrots and onions to improve flavor. Fold neck skin to back and fasten with skewer. Fasten legs down by tying or tucking under clamp or skin band.
1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey, thawed
Salt, pepper
Basic Bread Stuffing or stuffing of choice
Butter, melted
* Remove giblet bag from turkey. Check both cavities for extra parts. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper to taste into neck and body cavities.
* Loosely pack stuffing into neck and body cavities. Do not overstuff. Stuffing expands during cooking. Skewer neck skin to back of bird to hold stuffing in place. Tuck drumsticks with clamp or skin band, or tie with kitchen twine, and tuck wings under bird. Allow 1/2 to 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of turkey. If recipe makes more stuffing than bird will hold, place in lightly greased casserole at 325 degrees until heated through, 30 to 45 minutes.
* Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Brush with melted butter. Roast uncovered at 325 degrees 20 to 22 minutes per pound (if turkey weighs more than 16 pounds, roast 18 to 20 minutes per pound), or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees in stuffing (if roasting unstuffed, take temperature in thigh). Check turkey for doneness by inserting instant-read meat thermometer into center of thigh and inside stuffing.
* Baste with melted butter every 30 to 45 minutes. If bird is browning too fast, tent loosely with foil or cover breast with butter-soaked cheesecloth.
* When turkey is done, remove from oven and let turkey rest at room temperature 20 minutes.
10 to 12 servings. 10 servings, without stuffing: 553 calories; 706 mg sodium; 217 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 55 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.
Basic Bread Stuffing
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 large onion
1 to 2 cups diced celery leaves
12 cups toasted 1/2-inch bread cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried sage or 1/4 cup minced fresh sage
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup turkey stock, water or milk
* Melt butter in large stockpot. Add onion and celery and cook until vegetables are tender but not browned. Add to bread cubes in large bowl. Add salt, pepper, sage and parsley, and toss until well mixed. Add turkey stock and blend well.
* Bake any excess stuffing in lightly greased casserole at 325 degrees until heated through, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Stuffs 1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey, about 10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 126 calories; 469 mg sodium; 23 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber
INGREDIENTS
SHOPPING LIST
1 loaf bread
1 carrot
1 head celery
1 pint half and half
1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries
1 pint milk
2 onions
1 bunch parsley
6 baking potatoes
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 bunch sage
1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey
1 orange
STAPLES
Allspice
Butter
Cinnamon sticks
Cloves
Eggs
Flour
Ginger
Nutmeg
Pepper
Peppercorns
Salt
Dark brown sugar
Granulated Sugar
GAME PLAN
3 Days Before: Buy frozen turkey. Put in refrigerator to defrost. Make cranberry sauce, cover and refrigerate.
2 Days Before: Prepare pumpkin pie filling and make dough for crust.
Night Before: Roll out crust and fit in pie plate. Fill and bake. Cool and set aside. Cut bread into cubes for stuffing and bake in 200-degree oven until dry, about 1 hour. Set aside.
Day of dinner:
9:30 a.m.: Chop onion, celery, sage and parsley for stuffing. Combine with other ingredients.
10 a.m.: Stuff turkey and put in oven.
Noon: Brown giblets for gravy. Add onions, carrots and peppercorns; then add water and bring to boil. Simmer to make turkey stock.
1 p.m.: Peel potatoes for mashed potatoes and cover with water to hold.
3: Boil potatoes for mashed potatoes.
3:30: Remove turkey from oven, tent with foil and set aside to rest. Make mashed potatoes.
3:45: Deglaze roasting pan with stock to make gravy.
4: Carve and eat.
THAWING
There are three ways to thaw a frozen turkey. An evenly thawed turkey may be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days before roasting. Do not refreeze an uncooked turkey after it has been thawed.
Refrigerator Method: The best, although slowest, way of thawing: Place the bird on a tray in its original wrapping and place it in the refrigerator until thawed. When it’s partially thawed, remove the bag of giblets from the body cavity and reserve in the refrigerator for making gravy or stuffing.
Turkey Weight Approximate Thawing Time
4 to 12 pounds 1 to 2 days
12 to 20 pounds 2 to 3 days
20 to 24 pounds 3 to 4 days
Quick-Thaw Method: Leave the turkey in its original wrap, place in a large kettle and cover with cold water. Change the water frequently to speed thawing. Thaw until the bird is pliable.
Turkey Weight Approximate Thawing Time
4 to 12 pounds 4 to 6 hours
12 to 20 pounds 6 to 8 hours
20 to 24 pounds 8 to 12 hours
Microwave Method: If the microwave is large enough to accommodate a turkey, thaw in a glass baking dish, following the manufacturer’s directions. It may take 1 to 1 1/2 hours on defrost cycle.
ROASTING TIMES
A turkey’s doneness should be judged by its internal temperature rather than by the clock. Because new breeds of turkey cook more quickly than birds of years past and because the method of cooking may affect time, cooking charts are not the best way to judge a turkey’s doneness. Always use a thermometer.
And what is the proper temperature for a roasted turkey? The answer is complicated. The official recommendation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is 180 degrees (that’s 5 degrees less than the recommendation a few years ago). But one expert at the USDA told us that harmful bacteria that may be present in raw poultry are effectively destroyed at 147 degrees. (The danger zone in which bacteria thrive and grow is 40 to 140 degrees. )
The reason for the higher recommendation? For one, home ovens and thermometers aren’t always calibrated accurately; the higher recommended temperature allows for a solid margin of error. It also leads to dried-out meat. Our compromise temperature is 165 degrees.
Note that there is usually a 10-degree increase in temperature that comes in the 15 to 20 minutes between removing the bird from the oven and carving it. That “push” after roasting should result in a final temperature of about 175 degrees. If you are cooking a stuffed turkey, the temperature of the stuffing at its center should be at least 165 degrees.
Insert the thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh, taking care not to touch the bone.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test by hand: Wiggle the tip of the drumstick. It should move easily when done. Or poke the bird with a knife to see if the juices run clear.
We’ve included the USDA’s time estimates for determining how long it should take a turkey to get to 180 degrees. Use this even if you’re cooking your turkey to 165 degrees to help budget your time.
UNSTUFFED WEIGHT ROASTING TIME
8 to 12 pounds--2 3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds--3 to 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds--3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds--4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds--4 1/2 to 5 hours
STUFFED WEIGHT ROASTING TIME
8 to 12 pounds--3 to 3 1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds-- 3 1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds--4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds--4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds--4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours