Selecting a Turkey

Preparing the perfect turkey starts with knowing how to buy one. If you're working on your meal ahead of time, buy a frozen turkey and remember that it will take a few days to thaw in your refrigerator. If you're having a small group, you may want just a white turkey breast. For extra freshness, or if you're short on time, look for White Fresh Turkey in the fresh meat section; it's ready to cook right away without any thawing.

Buying The Right Size Whole Turkey

Whether it's your first turkey or your tenth, there's always the question of what size bird to buy. (And what size will fit in your refrigerator.) Generally, you should figure on at least one pound per person (uncooked). I suggest buying 2 pounds or more. It may sound like a lot, but you know how great turkey brings out the best in everyone. This way, you will have some leftovers for tasty second day dishes. The chart below can be used as a handy whole turkey buying guide.

Turkey Buying Guide

To serve	Turkey Size
2-4 people	8-12 lbs.
5-7 people	12-16 lbs.
8-10 people	16-20 lbs.
11-13 people	20-24 lbs.
*Whole turkeys smaller than 8 lbs are rare and hard to find.

Thawing Your Bird

Most whole turkeys are frozen when you buy them. The tried-and-true method for thawing is to leave the turkey in its original wrapping and place it on a tray in your refrigerator. You should allow five hours per pound defrosting time. This means a 14-19 lb. turkey will need 3 to 4 days to thoroughly defrost. If you find your turkey has not completely thawed when you are ready to cook it, place it under cold, running water to help speed up the thawing process.

Suggested Refrigerator Thawing Times
for Whole, Frozen Turkey

Turkey Size	Thawing time in refrigerator
8-12 lbs.	1-2 days
12-16 lbs.	2-3 days
16-20 lbs.	3-4 days
20-24 lbs.	4-5 days

If you need to thaw your turkey more quickly, you may thaw the bird in cold water, in the original wrapping. The cold water must be changed every 30 minutes. Allow approximately 30 minutes per pound using this method.

Suggested Cold Water Thawing Times
for Whole, Frozen Turkey

Turkey Size	Thawing time in cold water
8-12 lbs.	4-6 hours
12-16 lbs.	6-8 hours
16-20 lbs.	8-10 hours
20-24 lbs.	10-12 hours

Foolproof Cooking

The perpetual problem with roasting turkey is to keep the breast meat moist without overcooking the legs. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Release the legs from the hock lock. The neck and giblets should be removed from the body and neck cavities. Rinse the turkey both inside and out with cool water and pat it dry with paper towels. Now you are ready to season or stuff your bird. When you're through, put the legs back into the hock lock and tuck the tips of the wings under the back of the turkey.

Place the turkey, breast side up, in a shallow (2" deep) roasting pan. Brush the turkey with vegetable oil, melted butter or margarine to prevent drying of skin. If your turkey is not self-basting, you should try to baste it at least once an hour with pan juices and vegetable oil, melted butter or margarine. (Note: A Honeysuckle White frozen turkey is self-basting.)

Shield the breast loosely with a tent-shaped piece of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning and roast the turkey until timer pops up or your meat thermometer registers 185°F in the thigh or 170°F in the breast.

A whole turkey is properly cooked if the leg joint moves freely when the drumstick is rotated and the juices run clear (without any tinge of pink) when inserting a long-tined fork into the deepest part of the leg joint. Remove the foil when approximately 1 1/2 hours of cooking time remains to allow the turkey to brown.

Move the turkey to a warmed platter; cover it loosely and let it stand for 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to settle and makes slicing easier.

Use the following timetable to approximate the roasting time for your fresh or thawed whole turkey.

Recommended Roasting Times for
Fresh or Thawed Whole Turkey
at 325°F

Weight (pounds)	Unstuffed (hours)	Stuffed (hours)
6 - 8	2 1/4 - 2 3/4	2 3/4 - 3
8 - 12	2 3/4 - 3	3 - 3 1/2
12 - 14	3 - 3 3/4	3 1/2 - 4
14 - 18	3 3/4 - 4 1/4	4 - 4 1/4
18 - 20	4 1/4 - 4 1/2	4 1/4 - 4 3/4
20 - 24	4 1/2 - 5	4 3/4 - 5 1/4
24 - 28	5 - 5 1/2	5 1/4 - 5 3/4
Cook stuffing to an internal (center of stuffing) temperature of 165 degrees

Meat Thermometer Guidelines

A meat thermometer provides the most accurate way to measure the temperature of the turkey and insure for a perfectly cooked bird. Using a meat thermometer is not only good for quality, but safety as well.

Placement of Thermometer
Before roasting the turkey, insert the thermometer into the deepest part of the inner thigh, near the breast, or into the deepest part (approx. 2 1/2 inches) of the turkey breast. Be careful not to touch the thermometer to the bone.

Internal Temperature for Cooked Turkey

Breast (2 1/2" into deepest part)	170°
Thigh (in the inner thigh near breast)	180°
Stuffing (center of stuffing)	160° - 165°