The turkey is the main course at many Thanksgiving dinner tables. Preparing the dish can be done using a variety of cooking methods and recipes to infuse flavor. Thanksgiving turkeys can be baked, roasted, fried or cooked using a rotisserie. They may be stuffed with dressing or cooked without the side dish. Vegetables and fruit can also be used to flavor the poultry meat. Recipes may be considered the best if they are used frequently, provide easy to follow steps or instructions and use easily attainable ingredients. http://www.butterball.com/recipe_search/product/Whole+Turkey
Whole turkeys may be purchased fresh or frozen. If using a frozen turkey, properly thawing the bird is essential. Thawing techniques include refrigerator thawing which requires approximately 5 hours per pound. The turkey should remain in its wrapper. Another thawing method is the cold water technique. This requires the turkey to be placed in cold water for approximately 1/2 hour per pound. Frozen turkeys can be thawed using a microwave, but for the best result it is not recommended. http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1197/chapter3.html#axzz13xyAhEfj
Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
If you're planning on serving a huge Thanksgiving holiday meal, there's a good chance that turkey will be on the menu. Turkey is often the main course at many Thanksgiving dinner tables.
Tips for Making a Great Holiday Turkey
There are some things that you can do to ensure you'll be serving the best Thanksgiving turkey to your family and friends.
- Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time for the turkey to thaw. A large frozen turkey can take several days to thoroughly thaw. Use safe thawing methods.http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/top-10-turkey-tips/index.html
- Try not to overstuff your turkey. Make sure you fill the turkey's cavity loosely with stuffing - or you can always cook the actual dressing separately.http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/top-10-turkey-tips/index.html
- Coat your soon-to-be roasting turkey with oil or butter (vegetable or olive oil) to keep it from overbrowning.http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/top-10-turkey-tips/index.html
- When you remove the turkey from the oven, "tent" it with foil and leave the bird alone for approximately 15 minutes before you carve it.http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/top-10-turkey-tips/index.html
Video: How to Roast a Turkey
Kristin with Hipcooks in West Los Angeles presents a guide on how to roast a turkey. She presents a two stage cooking process that ensure the turkey takes on a golden brown exterior. This cooking video is part of a larger series of instructional guides offered on the Mahalo.com YouTube channel.
Video: How To Make Cranberry Sauce
Are you looking for a great cranberry sauce recipe? If turkey is the star of a great Thanksgiving dinner, then cranberry sauce is the supporting player that ties the whole extravaganza together.
Video: How to Make Turkey Stuffing
Hipcooks and Mahalo.com teaches the viewer how to prepare turkey stuffing. The cook demonstrates how to turn a sourdough bread loaf into crumbs for her stuffing recipe. Once she is done, she toasts them in the oven so that they become crispy. She goes on to make a mixture that includes celery, onions, mushrooms, sage, pepper, parsley and butter.
Video: How to Smoke a Turkey
Kristen and Mahalo teach you in this video how to smoke a turkey. Master this skill and you can impress all your family and friends at Thanksgiving and on other occasions. This video will provide you with all the schools you will need.
How to Carve a Turkey
Turkey carving can be a little unnerving, especially if this is the first Thanksgiving dinner at which you are going to be doing the carving. This featured video, courtesy of Cooking.com, will help remove some of those nerves by showing you exactly how to carve that turkey with this step-by-step guide.
Stove Top Stuffing Coupons
The information in this video is provided to show viewers examples of where Stove Top Coupons can be located. They may be found on the Kraft website, third party coupon websites or in local newspaper advertisements. The video also provides details on how to locate the coupons on the main Kraft website.
Butterball Turkey Coupons
Mahalo.com explains how to find coupons and discounts on Butterball products. The speaker states that the discounts can used to lower the expense of Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday dinners. Butterball offers a turkey talk line service to its customers. A person can call the toll-free number to receive turkey cooking tips.
How to Brine a Turkey
Mahalo.com and Kristin from Hipcooks, Los Angeles provide all the information you will need in this video for how to brine a turkey. Once gained, this is a valuable skill to impress family and friends at Thanksgiving and other meals. This video shows you how.
How to Survive Thanksgiving Dinner with Your Family
This tongue-in-cheek guide offers advice on how to survive Thanksgiving dinner with your family in a humorous manner. It review conversation topics and family members to avoid. The video presenter also reminds viewers that the meal only lasts for a short time and that you will be able to remove yourself from any awkward positions before the end of the evening. This video guide is part of a larger series of Thanksgiving tutorials offered on the Mahalo.com YouTube channel.
References
Fast Facts
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Also known as
Thanksgiving turkey, whole turkey, frozen turkey, fresh turkey
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Main ingredients
Turkey, seasonings, butter for basting
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Cooking methods
Baking, deep frying, roasting, rotisserie
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Cooking time
1-6 hours depending on cooking method
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Cooking temperature
325F-425F depending on cooking method
