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Cooking: TurkeyTips: Whenever possible thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator for two days. If you don't have that kind of time or room in your fridge, thaw the bird in a cold water bath. An 18-pound turkey could take 4 to 6 hours to thaw this way. Please do not thaw poultry by leaving it a room temperature in your sink. This could allow unwanted bacteria a nice holiday home. To prepare your turkey for roasting, always remove the giblets from the neck and main cavities. Wash your bird in cold running water thoroughly, inside and out, then dry with a clean lint free towel. If you are going to stuff your turkey, pack the cavities loosely, as the stuffing will expand during the cooking process.
How much to buy? 3/4 of a pound of raw turkey per person will usually do the trick, however we recommend 1 pound per person to allow for seconds and leftovers.
Thermometer Readings: Insert your instant read thermometer between the body and leg into the meaty part of the thigh. Look for a reading of 160 degrees. If you must test the turkey in the breast, which we don't recommend, look for a temperature of 165 to 170 degrees on a whole bird (on a bone/in turkey breast remove it at 155 degrees). Remember that the breast will be done before the thighs, so watch for this critical period in the cooking time.
Pound per minute method: On an unstuffed turkey, figure 15 to 17 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. For a stuffed bird, figure 20 to 23 minutes per bird.
12-16 pounds...about 4 hours unstuffed
16 - 20 pounds...about 5 hours unstuffed
20-26 pounds... about 6 hours unstuffed
Resting period: Allow at least one minute per pound before carving
