How long to cook turkey recipes

Or maybe confit? You can also scroll down and get straight to the turkey cook times. The ideal place to thaw a frozen turkey is in the fridge, which can take up to a week depending on the size of the bird. For more on how to prepare a turkey , click on our guide. When the time arrives to cook your bird, take the now-thawed turkey out of the fridge and set it on a rack at room temperature for an hour to take the chill off and dry out the skin.

Your roasting rack should allow the bottom of the turkey to sit at or just below the top of the pan. No roasting rack? A heavy-duty cooling rack set inside a half-sheet pan works too. Some recipes have you start roasting the turkey at a high temperature for a brief period before lowering the heat for the duration.

Plus, the skin gets browned very quickly often too quickly. Steady heat means not having to check the oven so frequently, leaving you free to do other things, like prep your mashed potatoes. Set your turkey breast side up on the roasting rack and rub room-temperature salted butter—or your favorite flavored compound butter —all over it. Slowly work your fingers under the skin, starting at the neck, being careful not to tear the skin or separate it completely at the large cavity.

Rub most of the butter under the skin, a little inside the large cavity, and the rest over the skin. Sounds random, we know. Instead, you can cook the stuffing on the side in a casserole dish. Add some stock to replace the juices the stuffing would have absorbed in the cavity. Try placing onion quarters, celery stalks, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper inside the turkey before roasting. At the same time, add a few halved shallots, sliced carrots, some celery, and 2 cups of water to your roasting pan , under the rack.

The vegetables will perfume the meat and flavor the drippings as the turkey cooks, while the water keeps things from burning. Loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil, shiny side out to deflect heat at the very beginning. Tenting with foil keeps the skin from getting too dark too soon. Remove the foil about halfway through cooking to let the skin brown. Traditional recipes call for basting the turkey every half hour to moisten and flavor the bird.

Basting is a simple process that just requires opening the oven and carefully spooning or using a turkey baster to squirt the pan juices all over the turkey. You can add butter to the roasting pan for a richer basting solution, or have turkey broth simmering on the stove to use if the pan juices run dry. Basting will certainly help the skin brown up nicely, but opinions vary on whether the liquid actually penetrates the skin to moisten the flesh.

After your turkey emerges from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes—just like you would with steak. To keep it warm, cover the bird with some foil. To prevent turning the perfectly golden skin soggy, be sure to create a fold in the foil so that you can "tent" it over the bird so that it does not directly touch the turkey and trap in moisture.

Still need to plan your sides? Save your turkey drippings and incorporate them into your gravy , stuffing , or even mashed potatoes. We've got everything you need to complete your Thanksgiving menu. If you've made this recipe, drop us a comment down below to let us know how it went and to share any tips and tricks you have for the best Thanksgiving spread!

Editor's note: This intro was updated to add more information about the dish on September 11, Nutrition per serving: calories, 69 g protein, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 22 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, mg sodium. Kitchen Tips and Tools. Delish Shop. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Choose the right size turkey. Adjust the cook time based on the size of your bird.

Thaw and bring the turkey to room temperature before roasting. Use a roasting rack. Start with a super hot oven, then reduce the temperature. Use more butter than you feel comfortable with. Back to Health Is air-frying healthy? Dairy-free diet Popular diets Healthy meal subscriptions Best vegan protein powders. Home Recipes Classic roast turkey.

Save recipe. Classic roast turkey. By Sara Buenfeld. Preparation and cooking time. Prep: 20 mins Cook: 3 hrs - 3 hrs and 30 mins. Share on facebook. Share on twitter. Share on pinterest. Email to a friend. Ingredients 1 onion, quartered fresh bay leaves, to flavour and serve 4.

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