How to cook a turkey

What follows are instructions for cooking a turkey. This page is mostly intended for folks that donate turkeys to the annual dinner.

“Let’s Talk Turkey”

(based on an article from Gourmet Magazine, November 2005)

Instructions

1. If frozen, make sure the turkey has been thawing the refrigerator for one or two days depending on the size of the turkey. You can remove it one hour before cooking to allow it to warm up even more.
2. Pre-heat oven to 230 Celsius (450F).
3. Remove feathers and quills (if any).
4. Some turkeys will contain a bag with the neck and organs (giblets) inside the turkey. Remove them and cook outside the turkey.
5. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry.
6. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly in turkey cavities and over the skin.
7. Put turkey on oven rack in lower third of oven.
8. Rotate turkey 180 degrees (π radians) half-way through roasting.
9. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the fleshy part of the thigh close to (but not touching) the bone.
10. Also test the temperature in the turkey’s breast.
11. Check that the space where the drumstick touches the body is roasted. Sometimes, because it’s hidden, it doesn’t roast as fast as the rest of the bird.
12. Temperature must register 77 Celsius (170F) for turkey to be cooked.
13. Once out of oven let turkey stand for 30 minutes. Temperature of thigh meat should rise to 82 Celsius (180F).
14. They really do come out tender and juicy.

Notes

1. Don’t stuff the turkey. If you do, then by the time the stuffing is at a safe temperature to eat, the turkey will be well overcooked.
2. Don’t cover it with tented aluminum foil.
3. All ovens are different but an 8 kg (16 pound) turkey should be done in about 75 to 90 minutes. But always check the temperature.
4. Please make sure to not add bacon, milk, butter, soy, or any other meats or ingredients other than salt, pepper and vegetables. We try to make sure folks who can’t eat those items can enjoy the turkey as well.
5. Please do not carve the turkey. Our group of volunteers will do so on site to make sure that all the donated turkeys are carved similarly. (So that they all get reheated at the same rate.) You can either bring it in fresh from the oven, or you can refrigerate it and bring it in cold. Please do not freeze it after cooking as we won’t be able to use it.
6. Make sure you use a meat thermometer to ensure the turkey is cooked in the centre to a minimum of 77 degrees celsius. (170 degrees fahrenheit.)
7. Save the turkey drippings, they help make good gravy.