Hosting My First Thanksgiving Meal. HELP!

Andrea -

If you don't have a Meat Thermometer - and don't want to buy one, then don't worry about it! I cook the Turkey in a Turkey Roasting bag. You can buy them at any Super Market. It works great!! The turkey ALWAYS comes out nice and moist. The box let's you know how long to cook the turkey. I've done it this way for years -it's easy, effortless - no basting, no worrying about temperature... it's awesome! :)

I have purchased a 25-29 lb turkey for that many people. It just kind of depends on how many left overs you want!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

C.

I don't remember on the turkey -- it's been too long. For potatoes, I do one medium potato per person plus one for the pot. I usually don't have a lot of leftovers, but have never run out. Mashed potatoes freeze really well. Just heat them up over the stove with a bit of milk when you're ready to use them. If they get too milky, just cook them until they are the right consistency. They're really good and rich this way, too, without a lot of butter, etc. Have fun with hosting! I get to do Christmas. It'll be my first since 2001! I'm excited.

I would get about a 10-12 pound turkey- there will be plenty, with some leftovers but not an obnoxious amount. As far as length of time, if you have a basic cookbook like Betty Crocker, they give you a time table. Also, I think the wrapper on the turkey gives guidelines. That being said, an 8-12 pound turkey will take roughly between 3.5-4.5 hours. The internal temp should reach 185*. You're supposed to place the meat thermometer in the thigh. Also, you can tell if a turkey is done if the leg joint is really loose and would break off easily, but a thermometer is a safer bet. Also, if you want really moist white meat, baking it in an oven bag will give incredible results! It doesn't make the turkey look all picture perfect and golden brown when you pull it out, but you don't leave it like that for long anyway. I actually tend to carve mine on the kitchen counter anyway, so no one really sees how it looks when it comes out of the oven. But it is incredibly moist and juicy! Another option is to cook it upside down (breast down on the pan) and this will make it more moist than the traditional breast-up way, as the juices from the dark meat will run into the breast during cooking. But the oven bag does the best job! Good luck with your dinner, try to relax and enjoy the day!

I always figure 20 minutes a pounds and that usually works out. Make sure you and in loafing time to your prep time (extra loafing is okay). Also, invest in a digital thermometer that goes into the oven. It is really the best way to go. You don't constantly test and stress, and those little pop up things do NOT work. I was finally able to relax with mine. Just check the read out and know I have X degrees to go.
Potatoes, one per person, then a couple to spare. Gravy, always make more than you think. Besides, who doesn't like leftover potatoes and gravy?

This is the easiest (and yummiest) way to cook the turkey:

Overnight at low heat!! Put the turkey in the fridge on monday so it can thaw for 2 days. (or you run hot water all over it until thawed if you forget) Wednesday night after dinner, prepare the turkey - rinse the turkey inside and out, remove any left over feathers/quills (most of the time they get all these out), remove the innards (heart/liver/neck) and just toss them out (it'll have instructions on the package for how to do all this). Some people like to eat them, but they change the flavor of the turkey so it's not as good.

You can put herbs inside the turkey for flavor if you want. I usually don't.

Do NOT remove the skin.

for a 15-23 lb turkey:
preheat the oven to 350 Bake
Bake in a large, UNCOVERED pan for 1 hour at 350. This kills all the germs.

Then, turn down the oven to 200 Bake
bake the turkey overnight UNCOVERED for 10-12 hours.

No basting required as long as you cook it UNCOVERED. The skin keeps all the juices in when you cook it at this low temperature. The skin will be crispy and the turkey itself will be MOIST and tender.

I've been cooking turkeys like this for years. The best part is that Thursday morning, you only have to worry about the side dishes.

Be sure to note the time when you start the lower temperature. If you cook it past the 12 hour mark, it will start to dry out. It's really best around 10-11 hours.

As long as there's no milk allergies, potatoes are yummy if you mash them with a little milk.

feel free to msg me if you have any more questions.

See this link, too: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49616.asp

She does the temp lower overnight. I always do 200 Bake overnight. It turns out fantastic!! The key is leaving it UNCOVERED. If you cover the turkey, it will turn out dry unless you constantly baste it.

The general rule is a pound or two of turkey for each adult - so you'd probably do best to get a 12-14 pound turkey. If you get a frozen one, thaw it in the fridge (3-4 days). You can follow the directions for cooking that come with the turkey. Or, since this is your first Thanksgiving party, you might want to take an easy way with a cooking bag - you can get a turkey-sized one at the store. Open the cooking bag package early and read the instructions (it will ask you to add a little celery and onion to the bag with the turkey). You might also want to pick up a good meat thermometer, because the little pop-out ones aren't always reliable. (Can you tell I have a son in food safety? You can read his comments about Thanksgiving cooking at www.food-safety-and-you.com.) I like to do mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving because they're easy and reliable - and you can easily do them from scratch rather than instant potatoes from a box. You may get lots of good recipes, but I hope you'll be easy on yourself so you can enjoy the company and the day.

Without exception, use the Reynolds Oven Bag to make the turkey, you could not overcook the turkey in that thing even if you tried. Read the instructions that come with the oven bag (flour the bag and put chopped vegetables in bottom of bag, sit the turkey on top of veggies – I do not chop the celery, I make a rack for the turkey to sit on made of the celery stalks (about 4 ‘racks’) and rinse the bird, pat dry, then rub butter on the outside (lightly) and season with salt and pepper on the outside.). I sit the turkey in a disposable, aluminum roasting pan and leave it alone for hours. Supposedly a turkey does not brown in an oven bag but I never remember that happening when I used it but if the turkey does not brown, slit the bag and roast for an extra 15 minutes. As for the turkey itself, I would highly recommend a non-frozen turkey - fresh, kosher, or flash frozen but not the deep freeze ones HOWEVER this means you are spending over a $1 a pound on the turkey which may be hard to want to do considering other turkeys run almost pennies per pound.

I agree a meat thermometer is a very handy-dandy thing to have, not just for Thanksgiving but all year long.
The most helpful bit of info I ever got about planning a Thanksgiving dinner came from a section in the Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics cook book called "Hosting Thanksgiving." It completely stopped me from freaking out and gave a countdown time line of what I needed to do by when. . . Like, "The day before, start to thaw the turkey and confirm any appetizers. Six hours before eating time,do X, Y, Z." There are detailed, no-fail instructions for how to cook nearly every traditional Thanksgiving food, including gravy, which trips lots of people up. (But BTW, Costco sells excellent ready-made turkey gravy in their refrigerated section.) I recommend this book--I got it for my wedding and eleven years later still I turn to it often.
Whether or not you have this book, I suggest you make a list of everything you have to do and then put it into a countdown-type list. Yeah, it's kind of Type-A, but it will help you feel confident you're not missing something or starting something too late, and if anyone comes early, they will be able to look at your list and jump in to help.
Best wishes!

if you don't have a meat thermometer definitely invest in one, over cooking the turkey is the main reason it ends up dry.
I brine my turkey, and do a butter rub under the skin so that it is moist and juicy and has that crisp skin. if you want the recipe I can email it, but it is a little bit time consuming as far as prepping goes...I brine mine starting on Tues, the put the butter rub on it before putting it in the oven.
The temperature must reach 180 °F in the thigh of a whole turkey (center of the stuffing should reach 165 ° but I don't do my stuffing in the bird...I don't like reaching in there lol)approx cooking times are listed here...
# 2 to 14 lbs..............3 to 3 3/4 hrs
# 14 to 18 lbs........3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hrs
# 18 to 20 lbs........4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hrs
# 20 to 24 lbs..............4 1/2 to 5 hrs
but like I said definitely use the meat thermometer. if the turkey gets done a little early that is fine cover it in tin foil and let it sit until time to carve.
I like to let mine sit for half an hour before we carve it, its still hot and it gives me time to get the juices from the pan and make my gravy.
I would recommend a baster if you want it to be nice and juicy as well and baste the turkey throughout the baking process, depending esp. on what recipe you use.
on the potatoes, I always plan on 2 potatoes per person. even the little kids that way if someone does more you are still safe, and leftover mashed potatoes like previously stated are really easy to freeze if you needed to, but generally 2 per person works out about right, esp. if there are any younger adult men, or teenage boys around.
Good luck! have fun! and don't stress yourself out too much...:)
oh and on the potatoes, to make sure they don't get gummy, mash them first without any milk or butter, once they are crumbly mashed then add butter and milk and your seasonings. this way they are fluffy and nice and not pasty. (I just use my big kitchenaid mixer to mash them but growing up we always had a hand potato masher.) I hate when I get in a hurry and forget and put the milk in before I have mashed the potatoes and they get gummy...

You can't go wrong with a little too much turkey. For me, that's one of the best things about Thanksgiving, the leftover Turkey. So probably around 15 pounds (remember some of that will end up being bone & other inedible stuff). Make sure the Turkey is completly thawed before you cook it - put it in the fridge at least 4 days in advance (don't thaw it out of the fridge.) A general rule of thumb is to cook the Turkey 1/2 hour per pound in a moderate oven (~350).

For potatoes, I generally do one medium-large potato per person plus a couple extra. Peel them first, then cut them into smallish pieces, barely cover them with water and boil till they're soft. Drain, mash them up and mix in a bit of cannd milk and butter.

I would say if all your guests really love turkey, and you're sure they will eat a lot of it, then you will want a 17-20 lb. turkey. HOWEVER, in my experience, many people take a little bit of turkey and a little bit of all the side dishes that are offered. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, green bean casserole, popovers, salad, whatever ... Plates tend to get overfilled so if you can get away with doing a smaller turkey, I would recommend doing that. It will save you a ton of time cooking it. Typically 20 mn. per pound, so every three pounds can save you about an hour. Plus, you can also look into roasting a turkey breast (or two). That may be less stressful for you too! Good luck!

Hi Andrea,

I would get about a 16-18 pound turkey. If it's NOT stuffed, roast for about 13-15 per pound. If it is stuffed, add 5 minutes per pound.

A few tips:

If you are NOT using stuffing in the turkey, put some onion and celery stals in the cavity. You can also loosen the skin and put herbs under it for flavor if you like.

Preheat the oven to 400 and roast the turkey for about 30 minutes at this temperature, then lower the heat to 350

Baste about every 15 minutes ... I use chicken broth to baste. I also "butter the bird" before I cook it.

I would make 10 pounds of mashed potatoes ... I put cheddar cheese in mine.

When I moved into my current house, I had one of those European ovens ... couldn't even fit the roasting pan in it much less the turkey. I bought one a Nesco roasting pan and I love it. It's much easier to baste the turkey and you have oven space for your other dishes.

Best Wishes!
L.

allrecipes.com it is amazing and has all kinds of recipes that are rated and helpful tips. I also would suggest a smaller turkey.