How to Cook a Turkey

Few meals inspire fear in the heart of the new cook like holiday dinners. Faced with cooking a bird that weighs in in the double digits, it's easy to feel a little overwhelmed.

With the right tools, turkey roasting is relatively easy.

This Lens uses links to the videos and articles from

Bon Appetit's Turkey School
to guide you step by step through your turkey roasting experience. You'll also find links to find the culinary gadgets that can make the difference between dry and delicious for your bird this holiday season or anytime.

Holiday Celebration Lenses

For more on creating a festive holiday feast for Thanksgiving and Christmas, be sure and check out these lenses.

Host a Happy Thanksgiving Feast!: Whether it's your first time cooking a turkey or you've been doing it for years, you'll find ideas for creating a Thanksgiving Feast that cannot be beat on this lens.Create a Thanksgiving feast with a little help from the Web and all the great stuff you can find here.
A Merry Christmas Celebration: Create a memorable celebration this holiday season with a little help from the Web and all the great stuff you can find here. From decorations to dinner, you'll find Christmas memories in the making here. Expand the Lens Contents link on the right to quickly navigate to the different sections of thi

Turkey Recipes and tutorials

Plenty of recipes to get you started. Find more recipes and cookbooks using the Lens Content link on the right.

EatTurkey.com: EatTurkey.com, the official Web site of the National Turkey Federation, contains over 1500 turkey recipes, plus nutritional information and more.
Yahoo! Celebrates Thanksgiving: Yahoo! Thanksgiving page
Includes Chef Marc's video tutorial on his high heat (upside down) roasting method.
Open Directory - Home: Cooking: Techniques: Poultry: Turkey: Poultry/Turkey
Cooking Techniques:
Turkey Recipes at Cooking.com: Find a variety of unique recipes to use up those Turkey leftovers.

Choosing a turkey

Start by counting the number of people expected at your holiday feast.

Then use the table and tips in this fantastic article from
Bon Appetit's Turkey School's Choosing a Bird section
to calculate the size bird to choose and the best one for your taste.

Turkey Help Lines - Turkey professionals are standing by...

· Butterball Turkey-Talk Line:
(800) BUTTERBALL
· Meat and Poultry Hot Line:
(800) 535-4555
· Reynolds Turkey Tips Line:
(800) 745-4000

Order your Turkey Online

Ready to cook!

If you'd rather not fight the crowds at your local market for the perfect centerpiece to your turkey dinner, why not have the turkey come to you?

Save time, hassles and aggravation while serving some of the finest turkey available.

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First, put on your apron!

Protect your holiday finery with these fun and functional aprons.

Big X 2 Pocket - BBQ or Kitchen 24 Inch Apron

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World's Greatest Cook Leather Apron

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Everyone Loves Dakat's Retro Oilcloth Lucy Apron in Aqua Rosegal Patterns!

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Prepping the Turkey for Roasting

In the Prepping the Turkey
section of the Bon Apetite Turkey School site, you'll find the video and written instructions to walk you through the prepping process.

Don't forget to check for the giblets, the little bag of turkey organs that comes stuffed in the cavity. Remove and discard or use for gravy or stuffing recipes.

(Some cats also like a little cooked turkey liver as a Thanksgiving treat.)

Roasting pans and Racks and Lacers

Pre-oven prep

Start with a good quality roasting pan with a rack.

Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized 16-Inch French Roast

Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $140.99
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Camerons Large Multi Roaster

Amazon Price: $165.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $109.99
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Usually ships in 2-3 business days

All-Clad Master Chef 2 Roti Combo with Roti Pan, Roasting Rack, and 2 Turkey Forks

Amazon Price: $169.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $215.00
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Usually ships in 24 hours

Simply Calphalon Nonstick 16-by-12-by-3-Inch Deep Roaster with Nonstick Rack

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List Price: $120.00
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KitchenAid Five-Ply Stainless-Steel 15-by-11-1/2-Inch Rectangular Roaster with Rack

Amazon Price: $119.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $220.00
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Turkey trick for tender white meat

My favorite way to cook a turkey results in very moist and tender white meat but not crisp skin or a dramatic presentation. The trick is simple, turn the turkey upside down in the roaster, with the breast meat down. As the bird roasts, the juices will collect in th white meat rather than roasting out of it.

It's generally safer to bake the dressing or stuffing separately from the turkey. If not putting stuffing in the cavity. add some celery stalks, quartered onions and carrot pieces. (Discard the veggies used in the cavity.)

Vertical Turkey Roasters

For a new angle on roasting, try one of these vertical roasters.

Camp Chef TKYC Turkey Cannon

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Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $24.99
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Usually ships in 24 hours

Nordic Ware Vertical Poultry Roaster

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Amazon Price: $14.94 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $15.50
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Norpro Stainless Steel Vertical Poultry Roaster

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Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $15.99
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Turkey Roasters

Self-contained roasters and vintage items from eBay.

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Lacers and Basters

Use lacers if necessary to control the wings and close the cavity.

Basting your turkey as it roasts keeps the meat from becoming too dry.

In the Prepping the Turkey
section of the Bon Apetite Turkey School site, you'll find video and written instructions to walk you through the prepping process.

SCI/Scandicrafts, Inc. Turkey Lacers 8-pc.

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Amazon Price: $1.95 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Oxo Good Grips Turkey Baster with Cleaning Brush

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Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $8.95
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Usually ships in 24 hours

Tovolo Drip-Less Baster

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Amazon Price: $18.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $18.99
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Hoffritz Stainless Steel Tube Baster

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List Price: $24.99
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Trudeau 11-Piece Basting Set

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List Price: $10.00
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Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Meat Thermometers - Knowing when to stick a fork in it...

The best way to be sure your bird is fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Here are some choices, both analog and digital.

The newest models include remote paging capability so that you won't accidentally over-roast.

In the
Knowing When to Stop section,
Bon Appetit uses both an article and a video to show how to tell when the turkey is done.

Taylor Wireless Oven Thermometer with Remote Pager

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Wireless Cooking Thermometer

Amazon Price: $29.61 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $59.99
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Pyrex Large Display Digital Instant Read Thermometer

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List Price: $25.00
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Taylor Professional Meat Dial Thermometer

Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Lifters and Slings

Turkey Lifters are like miniature pitchforks for hoisting the unwieldy roasted bird from pan to plate. Don't try this with regular forks or spatulas.

Turkey Slings are used to cradle the bird as it cooks so that you can lift it out easily.

KitchenAid Professional Set of 2 Turkey Grabbers, Black Handle

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Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $19.99
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In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.

All-Clad T137 Poultry Lifters 2-pc.

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All Clad Turkey Lifter, Set of 2

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William Bounds Sili Gourmet Sling

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Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $20.00
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Metro Complete Stainless Steel Roaster Set #1004

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Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Turkey Platters

For a festive tablescape, a special platter for your turkey is just the right touch and can become a special holiday heirloom.

Catskill Craftsmen Grandma's Turkey Wood Cutting Board with Graphics

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Caleca Marina Rectangular Turkey Buffet Platter

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Wedgwood Nantucket Bone China 20-Inch Turkey Platter

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Amazon Price: $125.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Arthur Court Large Turkey Tray, 24 Inch

Coordinates with carving set shown below.

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Amazon Price: $350.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Johnson Brothers Friendly Village 19.5-Inch Turkey Platter

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Amazon Price: $69.77 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $170.00
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Make perfect turkey gravy

Watch the video from Bon Appetit's Turkey School for a demonstration of

Whisking Up the Gravy

Gravy Gadgets

Oxo Good Grips Fat Separator, 4-Cup

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 10/12/2008)

Pedrini Black & Satin Thanksgiving Set

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 10/12/2008)

Churchill China Thanksgiving Turkey Multi Colors Gravy Boat and Stand

Amazon Price: $27.50 (as of 10/12/2008)

Rival SCVG000 18-Ounce Slow Cooker Gravy Boat

Never worry about cold gracy with this gravy boat that keeps the gravy warm throughout the feast.

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Arthur Court Grape Sauceboat with Ladle, Set of 2

Coordinates with Turkey Platter and Carving Set shown above.

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Carving the bird

After it rests to set the juices, your turkey will be the star of your holiday table as it is carved for those first servings a la Norman Rockwell.
Or, if you prefer to eat the meat while it's still hot, carve in the kitchen and arrange on your platter. Consider roasting two birds rather than one larger one so that you can pre-carve one, and save the other for the table.

Again, Bon Apetit provides both video and written guidance in the Turkey School segment
Carving the Turkey.

Carving and serving sets

J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S 2-Piece Carving Set with Presentation Box

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J.A. Henckels International Eversharp Pro 2-Piece Stainless-Steel Carving Set

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Wüsthof Culinar 2-Piece Carving Set in Presentation Box

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Amazon Price: $179.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Calphalon Contemporary Stainless-Steel 4-Piece Carving Knife Set

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Arthur Court 2-Piece Turkey Carving Set

Matching platter is shown above.

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Amazon Price: $59.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
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Cleaning Up

Supplies and containers for cleaning your kitchen and managing your leftovers.

Dawn Direct Foam Dishwashing Foam and Antibacterial Hand Soap, Citrus Kick Scent, 13.5-Fluid Ounce Bottles (Case of 10)

Dawn Direct Foam is absolutely fantastic at cutting grease and minimizing water needed to clean even tough pans. Squirt the foam into the pan, wipe up the grease with a paper towel and throw the towel away. No more greasy plumbing issues. Also antibacterial--Especially important when dealing with poultry.

Amazon Price: $42.36 (as of 10/12/2008)