My fiance and I have decided to stay home and have our own small Thanksgiving this year with his dad and my brother.
Yes, I have searched, but I guess there’s things I just don’t understand completely. I know the thawing process, but after that I am completely lost.
Can anyone "dumb it down" for me? Lol. I know that sounds awful, but I want to make sure it is done right. I would like to make a dressed turkey, but I’m not much good at homemade stuffing. Can I use boxed stuffing? If so, how exactly do I do this?
I will also be making green bean casserole (as well as other things). Can I do this the night before, if I wait to add the topping?
I know these questions seem really stupid, but I was never really taught so much as the basics of cooking, so I’m pretty much teaching myself. Any tips/advice you might have would be much appreciated! =]
Gah, sorry for more questions…I only had one home thanksgiving with my mother before she passed, and I was only 15 at the time so I didn’t really pay attention…Forgive me for my ignorance..lol
So a couple other rather silly questions…
I’m just covering the turkey with foil, correct? (ie, not wrapping the bottom as well, or cover the roaster itself).
Water/brother goes in the bottom of the roaster, under the turkey?
And stuffing….prepared? As in, ready to go, or almost ready to go? I think that’s where I am most confused…probably just due to wording…
Sorry =\ I know it’s not going to be perfect, but I’d like to at least do a decent job…and be able to do it next year! =]
Cooking the turkey breast-side down will create a tender juicy turkey without brining or using other methods — if you are stuffing the turkey you will need approximately 8 cups of prepared stuffing for an 18-pound turkey — the cooking time for this recipe is for an 18-pound stuffed turkey cooked at 325 degrees F but you have the option of stuffing or not — my best advise for a beginner is to use a meat thermometer inserted in the breast area, this way you will be assured that your turkey is cooked to the proper temperature, you can cover the uncooked stuffed turkey with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight and just pop it in the oven the following mid-morning or whenever you are ready to cook the turkey — make certain that you have lots of chicken broth handy for this recipe as you will most likely need to keep adding more into the pan while cooking –
Simple Perfect Roast Turkey (for beginners)
Ingredients
1 (18 lb) whole turkey
1/3 cup melted butter, cooled (can use margarine)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white salt (or use as much salt as desired)
fresh ground black pepper (lots of pepper!)
2 quarts chicken stock (might use less)
8 cups favorite prepared stuffing (optional)
Directions
1
Set oven to 325 degrees F, convection oven heat set to 320 degrees F.
2
Set oven rack to lowest position.
3
Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity.
4
Rinse the turkey well with cold water inside and out then pat dry with a paper towel.
5
Place the turkey on a rack on a roasting pan.
6
In a small bowl mix together the melted butter with oil.
7
Fill the inside cavity loosley with prepared stuffing (if you are not using stuffing then tie the legs together with cotton butchers twine).
8
Using clean hands rub the outside of the turkey with the oil/butter/garlic mixture.
9
Season the turkey all over with salt and lots fresh ground black pepper.
10
If you are NOT stuffing the bird place breast-side down on the rack, if stuffing leave breast-side up.
11
Place/tent a large piece of heavy foil over the turkey.
12
Place the pan in the oven, then pour about 4-5 cups chicken broth in the pan.
13
Keep basting the turkey about every 30-40 minutes with the pan juices on the bottom of the pan (removing the foil and re-tenting every time you baste).
14
If you see the juices starting to evaporate then add in more broth to the pan about 2 cups at a time.
15
After about 2-1/2 hours of cooking time remove the foil.
16
Keep roasting (325 degrees F) until the internal thermometer reads 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).
17
The total cooking time for this 18-pound stuffed bird should be about 4 hours.
18
Transfer the cooked turkey to a large serving platter, cover loosley with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving (DO NOT slice the turkey before 30 minutes or all juices will flow out of the bird!).
19————————————…
20
**NOTE** cooking times for whole turkeys cooked at 325 degrees are as follows.
21
For an 8-12 pound turkey, roast for 2-3/4 to 3 hours.
22
For a 12-14 pound turkey, roast for 3 to 3-3/4 hours.
23
For a 14-18 pound turkey, roast for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours.
24
For an 18-20 pound turkey, roast for 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 hours.
MAKE-AHEAD FRESH GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Prep time: 50 minutes
Freezing time: overnight – two months
Baking time: 90 minutes
Serves 16 in smallish servings for a big dinner
SAUCE
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, caps broken into pieces, stems roughly chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced (don’t skimp on these)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cups chicken stock or boullion
1/2 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed
BEANS
2 pounds fresh green beans, stems trimmed, broken into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup cornstarch
TOPPING
1 cup panko
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups (about 3 ounces) canned fried onions, chopped
SAUCE In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter on medium heat til melted. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms are cooked and the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about a minute. Sprinkle the mushrooms with flour and stir in as best you can. A tablespoon at a time, stir in the chicken stock, letting each tablespoon become absorbed before adding another. (This will take several minutes, be patient or you’ll risk a lumpy mess.) Stir in the wine and cream. Bring to a boil. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the sherry. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed. (It should be slightly salty and slightly peppery since the beans themselves ar
ummm 1st of all
dont put your stuffing inside the turkey….. foodnetwork chefs say it pulls the moisture out if the meat making it dry…
bake the stuffing (stovetop) in the oven or "stovetop"
also, put a stick or two of butter under the skin on top of the turkey…..it will make your turkey sooo moist
you can make the green bean casserole the night before, just put the onions on when your going to put it in the oven,.. i never mix the onions in the casserole, they get soggy…
also, i use campbells cheddar cheese soup instead of mushroom… its tastier
you can make your mashed potatoes the night before too….
for every 2lb of potqtoes you use, when you are getting ready to mash your potatoes, use 1 egg instead of milk… and use a high speed mixer while potatoes are drained and put back in the pan over a low heat…..
so if you use 4 lbs potatoes, beat potatoes with 2 tsp butter and two eggs… the eggs make the potatoes stick together so they arent lumpy when you reheat them in the microwave….
wait for them to cool, and refridgerate…
Last year I cooked my first turkey and I am not known for my cooking skills. I bought an electric roaster( about 30 dollars from Walmart). Anyway, I stuffed my turkey with apples, lemons , fresh tyme, parsley and rosemary after I had rubbed the entire inside and out with butter and salt and pepper. I turned the roaster on and cooked it as directed. It was fabulous!
boxed stuffing is fine, just doctor it up with sauted onions, celery, turkey drippings and mushrooms. Baked it instead of cooking on top of the stove and it will get a nice crust on it, you just need to add more liquid( broth).
Put your green bean casserole together the night before and baked it the next day.
You can make your green bean casserole the night before. It won’t hurt anything.
Box stuffing is fine, to make it taste like homemade… add a few fresh onions and celery. Just put some chopped onions and celery in a frying pan with a couple of tsp of butter on medium heat. Stir and cook them just till the onions are soft and clear looking. Follow the package directions on the box of stuffing and add your fresh vegies at the end..just stir them in.
Make sure you wash (cool water) your turkey really good. Then I lift the skin and with my hands put the butter under the skin. I stuff the turkey and I spray my foil with pam before I cover it. I like to bake my turkey slow, 325 for 5-6 hours depending on size. I take the foil off and drain juices before the last 30 min of baking. Also, I baste my turkey about every hour. Over the stuffing too, cuz it makes it nice and crispy. Hope this helps… but no matter what try to have fun and save up lots of memories…. I have many memories and they are not always perfect… but they are fun and happy!
First, everyone has to start somewhere. For your small crowd, I would do a turkey breast. I never stuff mu bird anyway, so for my family of four, this works out better ( no one in my family likes the dark meat anyway)
I do the breast pretty simple and its never failed me.
I rinse the bird inside and out then pat dry.
On my roaster I put 2 halved lemons, a bunch of fresh rosemary sprigs, a head of garlic halved ( no need to peel, this is just for flavor)
Place the turkey breast on top. Rub the skin with olive oil and liberally salt and pepper.
Yes you can do stove top stuffing, if you lie it baked, the recipe is on the box.But its really no harder to get a bag of pepperidge farms stuffing, all you need to do is chop celery and onion and be sure to do the chicken stock method instead of water. You can also fry up some breakfast sausage and add that to it along with some chopped apple…delish!
The green bean casserole takes no time to throw together, so don’t do it the night before. The stuffing, you CAN get ready the night before and cover then bake off on Thanksgiving.
Happy Holidays. I hope this helped somewhat
Congratulations:
My mother had no patients for teaching so I lived and learned and now think my food is not only edible but yummy too.
my go to site is http://www.foodnetwork.com
BuT I like to KISS keep it simple stupid.
after you thaw out the turkey, they have a hidden treasure inside the cavity, a neck and sometimes gizzards or a bag of stuff I throw away:-)
Rinse out the turkey, fully, If your going to stuff it you want to make sure your stuffing is not really dry because it will dry the bird out.
Pat Bird dry with towel, lift the skin from the body enough to place hand under it so that you can shove pads of butter between the skin and the meat, this will help crisp the bird and keep it tender too.
I season with SALT, Pepper, and Pultry seasoning, (for your first time try not to get too fancy it can ruien the turkey if you do too many crazy things) Garlic I love garlic but if your not sure about anyone else leave it out, Lightly dust the turkey. Place in Pan.
NOW for the water, or broth you will use to spoon over the turkey, I buy a chicken broth about 5 cans, add 2-3 cubs of Beef bullion to it warm it up, you can add a little about 1/4 teaspoon of the pultry seasoning to it. (Pultry seasoning has tyme and sage and other things already added)
You can either use the stove top stuffing or the bag one there is usually a recipe for it. Make sure if you are doing the bag one you sautee the onions and celery because otherwise they come out a little hard, I cut mine small because I don’t like chunks of celery, add butter and the broth from above till it is a little mushy not soggy and not dry.
Stuff the bird, and use the remaining broth in the bottom of the pan to spoon over bird, and later for gravey. (which you just put the pan drippings on a burner of the stove and add a rue which is a little of the both wisked with equal amounts of flour so 1 cup to 1 cup, and wisk in to the rest of the pan of drippings, If you add the flour straight to the pan you will have balls of flour and it will be nasty. fyi I know I tried it. I usually add a little garlic at this point salt and pepper now I also add more things and am fancy with it but kiss because it is your first time.)
OH if the turkey looks like it is getting too brown at the top you place a piece of foil loosly over it to stop it from burning:)
On the turkey it should have a guide for the degrees and length of time based on pounds.
WOW
Side items.
keep it simple,
honey glazed carrots, can be done in a microwave,
mashed potatoes can be done stovetop,
Greenbean casserole can be mostly done the night before and as the turkey rests you can pop it in the oven with bread for the 20 minutes it takes to finish.
Pickeled Eggs or Purple eggs can be done a couple days before, eggs with beats, it is a favorite for most.
10 cup fruit salad day before just don’t add the liquor till the morning of.
Corn on cob – stove top
Broccoli cheese casserole night before it can go in with greenbean and bread.
I like my greenbeans cooked stovetop with butter fry it good till they are a little brown add garlic and parmasan cheese at the very end IT is great.
Make sure you take the bag out of the cavity before you cook it…..that was my mistake the first time I cooked a turkey:)
You can make stuffing from the box, but it’s not the same. I usually buy Peppridge Farm Cubed Herb Seasoned Stuffing and saute and onion and celery then mix it in ….the directions are on the package. I don’t cook stuffing in the turkey, but that’s my personal choice.
I’m also making green bean casserole…..you can make it the night before, but you’re right…..don’t add the topping until you’re ready to bake.
As far as the turkey……you can season it by rubbing some butter and herbs of your choice for flavor. Some people keep it simple and just rub some butter with salt & pepper. Another tip…….while it’s cooking, take your baster and suck up the juices and apply it on the turkey every 1/2 hour or so.
Those aren’t stupid questions……no one wants a dried up turkey or soggy casserole. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s going to be okay. You are having an anxiety attack! The turkey is easy. Follow the directions on the bag. Go out right now and buy about a 12 pound turkey. If it’s frozen, you should start thawing it in the fridge either today or tomorrow so it is fully thawed. Put the bird on a baking pan so your fridge doesn’t get mess up from any juices coming out. There are giblets in both the front and back of the bird, so before you start baking it on Thursday, make sure you get the packages out of there. I soak my bird in a clean sink in cold water and salt for about 1/2 hours, drain the water, rinse the bird, and dry it off well with paper towels. (make sure you wash out your sink thoroughly so you don’t spread turkey stuff everywhere. Take all but one rack out of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Rub the bird down with cooking oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, both inside and out. You can keep the giblets and throw them in the bottom of the baking roaster under the rack or just throw them out if they don’t appeal to you. Put a rack in your roaster pan, add about 1/2 inch of water, put the turkey in the roaster on the rack, put aluminum foil over the top and seal around edges. Put it in the oven and in about 3 hours your turkey will be done. Periodically during the baking, open the oven and pulll out the roaster and baste the bird with the juices in the bottom of the roaster. During the last 1/2 hour of baking, remove the aluminum foil so the bird browns. You may need to turn the oven down to 325. Follow the instructions on the bag the turkey came in. Stove Top makes real good dressings in many recipies so pick whatever sounds good to you–I think I mix the cornbread with the savory. You can mix up the green bean casserole the night before if you want, but I don’t think it’s necessary. The turkey should sit 1/2 hour before you cut it, so you can mix up and heat up the casserole during that time. Buy a couple of mashed potato packages, turkey gravy and canned cranberries when you are shopping today. Have the guys bring the desserts. Happy Thanksgiving.
As requested, more info. You cover the sides of the roaster with the foil, not under the bird. Be careful when you take the foil off because a lot of hot steam comes out.
Stove Top Stuffing comes in a box and you add water to it and bake about 20 minutes or you can put it in the bird, but do that, if you choose to, just before you put the bird in the oven. You can also buy already mixed up stuffing and sweet potatoes by Ore-Ido–I can’t remember they are in the produce or meat dept.
The water goes in the bottom of the roaster before you add the bird and you may have to add more as it cooks. The water will help keep the juices that drip off the bird from browning too quickly and burnining and smoking up the house.
Congrats to tackling this. It’s really not hard, just a little overwhelming when you first start out. God Bless
I would purchase a Reynolds Turkey Cooking Bag and roast the turkey in that. You can stuff the turkey if you like. The cooking bag helps keep the turkey moist and it will brown nicely.
And yes, don’t forget to take the bag of giblets out of the inside of the turkey and wash the turkey with cold water, inside and out. Pat it dry with a paper towel.
If you use boxed stuffing, there should be instructions on the box on how to use it when roasting the turkey.
You can make the casserole the night before if you wait to add the topping.
It is intimidating the first time to make a Thanksgiving dinner. I did one when I was 16. (And I forgot to take the giblets out of the inside of the turkey!!)
Now I think cooking turkey is one of the easiest things to do.
Frozen pumpkin pies are good to use and you still get that fresh baked taste.
Mashed potatoes – you can peel and cut your potatoes into cubes the night before and put them in a pot of cold water and leave them in the fridge. When you are ready to cook them, just drain the water. Add salt and fresh water and cook them until tender, about 25 minutes or so. I use a mixer to mash them. Add butter and mix some more. Then add some milk, a little at a time.
Canned sweet potatoes are a lot easier to use than fresh. I use cut-up ones and make a brown sugar glaze and just bake them until it’s not. The glaze is basically melted butter and brown sugar mixed together.
Another thing that is good is to heat the sweet potatoes on the stove (in the juices from the can). Then drain them – add some butter, a little milk, cinnamon or whatever spice you like. Mash them up with a mixer. Put them in a square casserole dish and top them with miniature marshmallows. Bake in 350 oven until marshmallows start to brown. Usually a big hit with children too!
I don’t like to make homemade gravy, so I buy jars of Pepperidge Farm turkey gravy. It’s actually less fattening than homemade and is flavorful and thick. It even has little chunks of turkey in it.
Try baking some brown and serve rolls too – you already have your oven hot and they just take a few minutes.
Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
Lots of people have good ideas. I agree with some of them. I do always stuff my turkey. Tastes so much better cooked in the bird. Also, to put it upside down makes it moister.
Hope you have a wonderful dinner!
my first time cooking is this year! so, i bought this, and this is how i am doing it, just like the video says:
http://www.jennieo.com/howto/howtovideos/TurkeyRoastingTips.aspx
but i dont have a rack like the video shows, so i am just gonna use a disposable pan and hope for the best!