For some people, cooking turkey is something that they do every month or every couple of months just because they cannot get enough of that taste. But for a lot of people, the hassles of cooking turkey are simply saved for Thanksgiving, and for even a smaller amount of people, for Christmas.

The reason for most people probably saving the task of cooking turkey for the holidays is because of the expense. The cost of a turkey is not cheap by any means for those who are on fixed incomes or that have a tight budget. If the cost of cooking turkey were not so steep, then more in likely there would be a lot more people purchasing these birds throughout the year.

Also, there may be another big reason that people tend to hold off cooking a turkey for the holidays and that is because how everyone says that it is so hard to prepare and to cook. But that is simply not that true if you really know what you are doing when cooking turkey.

There is not actually a lot of preparation that must be down to cook a turkey but it does take a long time to cook, several hours in fact. But when you think about it, while a turkey is cooking, you are not standing there staring at the oven because you are busy doing other things. So, the oven actually has a bigger job than you do so maybe you should try cooking turkey more then once a year.

Hints on Finding Recipes

The best way to find some recipes that you know you will like and that you know that your family will like is by talking with some relatives. Think about where you have had a great Thanksgiving dinner or who used to make it all and talk to them about sharing their recipes. This is an excellent way to find recipes and little tricks of the trade that you could never find anywhere else. Just know, that you are not the only one in the family who has experience in cooking a turkey so go ahead and use their knowledge and see how it comes out.

If you really never liked the recipes that other people in your family have followed, then you may want to consider making your own. If you are handy and creative in the kitchen, you may be able to come up with your own recipe to share with others. If you lack that sense of cooking knowledge and experience, you can always turn to the World Wide Web for suggestions and full-fledged recipes on cooking turkey. There are thousands, if not more, for cooking turkey at any given time. Just do a search and see what you find – you may be very surprised.

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While most people just worry about turkey cooking times around thanksgiving, there are many other occasions throughout the year when you can enjoy this lean, white meat alternative to chicken. Whether it is in stir fry’s, salads, sandwiches and pasta, turkey breast can be very versatile.

The turkey breast cooking time depends on a variety of factors, number one being size. Obviously, the bigger the portion of meat, the longer it will take to cook. However, to add to the variables the shape of the portion as well as how much bone it has in ratio to the meat also pays a role. Additional considerations include whether the turkey breast was fresh or defrosted after being frozen. The marinating techniques and the way it will be cooked also will affect the turkey breast cooking time.

Internal Temperature

Even though different cooks and cookbooks will give you their best guesstimate for the ideal turkey breast cooking time according to size of the piece, the surefire way of getting the roasting done just right is to buy a cooking thermometer an checking to see if the internal temperature has reached 170 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as it has, not only is your turkey safe to eat, it is also not dry nor raw. The method you use to cook and the pan you opt for can also vary, but shallow roasting pans are deemed to be the best bet for cooking turkey breast time and time again.

Most turkey breast, especially smaller sizes are usually served without stuffing. However, bigger portions like 8 pound portions can be stuffed with your favorite herbs and spices. Some general guidelines for a 2 or 3 pound turkey breast is around 1 and a half to 2 hours in a conventional oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If the breast is 4 to 6 pounds, then 2 and a half to 3 hours is usually recommended and if the piece is around 8 pounds in weight, then 3 and a half hours should be a safe bet.

Easy Recipe

You can enjoy cooking a turkey breast time and time again by adding some zing to the recipe. Try a citrus turkey breast sandwich to take to work and you will be glad you didn’t walk down to the greasy burger joint. All you need for this recipe is some jalapeno paste, lime juice, orange juice, garlic and onion paste. Marinade the breast and roast it. Shred or slice and pack in individual baggies for several healthy sandwiches.

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When it comes to that time of year that everyone is looking forward to because of the delicious food that is served, there is always at least one person that is slightly tense about it and that would be the person who is going to be cooking a turkey.

Although it really is a simple job, a lot of people tend to get a little stressed out about cooking a turkey and it is not because it is a hard job, but because the turkey is the thanksgiving dinner and many people feel that if the turkey gets ruined, that thanksgiving is ruined. Even though that is not the case, a lot of people cannot get that thought out of their minds.

Remember, that cooking a turkey is not a hard job in itself and that is a fact but it is strictly the anticipation of whether or not it is going to come out right that is the problem. But when you think about it, your oven is actually doing more work than you are so when thinking about how hard cooking a turkey is, think about how much work your oven has to go through. All you really have to do is dress it and place it in the oven and the rest of the work from cooking a turkey is done by the oven while you prepare other things such as side dishes.

The Most Important Thing

Although messing up the turkey in that it came out a little dry or without a lot of flavor is heartbreaking to some; that is not the real danger to consider when cooking a turkey. When you are getting ready to begin cooking a turkey, you have to make sure that you have fully read over all of the instructions. By not following these instructions, you are either going to have a bird that does not taste all that great or you could end up giving your guests food poisoning.

When roasting a turkey, make sure that it has reached the proper temperature of 165 degrees by sticking a cooking thermometer into it. Any reading lower then that, you need to put it back in. All in all, when those few things are followed, cooking a turkey does not have to be anything to worry about or stress over. You can do it just as millions and millions and of people before you have done it. Cooking a turkey will soon become second nature to you and you will be a pro before you know it.

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If you have ever been to someone’s house when they prepared you a fabulous thanksgiving dinner and you just did not like the turkey taste, there may be one very good reason why. A lot of times, it is because they simply did not use a lot of flavoring according to your specific taste buds or even more times then not, it is because of the dryness of the turkey. A dry turkey can happen several ways such as not basting it properly and as often as one should in order to keep the juices flowing.

Another reason is that someone cooked the bird at too high of a temperature and then kept it in there for the recommended cook time or even longer. This would certainly be the cause the turkey to be dry because the proper turkey cooking temperature was not followed. When the proper turkey cooking temperature is not followed, you are going to end up with one of two cases. The first scenario is that the turkey ending up being over cooked because the temperature was too high which means it ended up dry. And the second is that the turkey cooking temperature was set too low which means it was not fully cooked at all.

How to Get It Right

In order to make sure that the turkey cooking temperature is correct, you will want to strictly follow the instructions on the oven. The general recommendation for the proper turkey cooking temperature is three hundred and twenty five degrees. And once you have it set, try to make sure all little children are away from the stove as we all know how they love playing with knobs and such. Also, try to refrain from opening the open door too often unless it is time to baste because every time you open the door, the built up temperature is lost and it has to build itself up again.

You are also going to want to watch the directions carefully in order to not remove it too early or too late. But something important that you will want to keep in mind is that all ovens are different so when it is time to remove the turkey, you will want to make sure to stick a thermometer into the turkey. If the proper turkey cooking temperature was used and it was in there long enough, the temperature of the inside of the turkey should read at least one hundred and sixty five degrees. Eating a turkey of anything less could mean getting sick in a very bad way such as food poisoning and no one wants to go through that.

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Whether it is the famous thanksgiving holiday or any other time that you are considering making turkey, the turkey cooking time is very important. This is because you wouldn’t want the turkey to be overcooked and dried out. Similarly an undercooked turkey is not a great idea as while steak can be consumed rare, poultry should never be eaten until it is well done to prevent the spread of disease.

Variables

Turkey cooking time varies as it depends on a lot of factors. The biggest thing is the size of the turkey and then whether it was frozen or fresh, the method of cooking (such as roasting or frying) and the dish unused to cook it in and other such considerations.

There are several websites and cookbooks that provide you with a good enough guideline for turkey cooking time. If all fails you ca ask a trusted friend, mother or mother in law as they would be more acquainted with your recipe, the type of oven you have, the marinating techniques and the like as compared to a website that has standard times based upon weight.

Another alternative is to call the turkey hotline several manufacturers have started and ask an expert as to what they think is the best turkey cooking time. Because there are so many variables it is always best to check the internal temperature of the turkey with a cooking thermometer than to just set the timer and forget bout it.

Guideline

However, to get you started, here are some guidelines you can keep in mind so that your guests are not left waiting at the table. The general rule is that if your turkey weighs in the range of 10 and 20 pounds roasting for around five hours should be enough. The best way to know that your meal isn’t dried out is to check if an internal temperature of 165 degrees has been reached. If the bird is bigger, say in the range of 20 and 30 pounds, then around six hours should be enough time for roasting.

If the turkey is the main course, and it usually will be, it is even more important for it to be perfect as even if you mess up the appetizer, you can skip it and if your dessert flops, you can run out for some ice cream. However, if your turkey cooking time gets messed up, the only alternative will be to order pizza!

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It comes around every year and yet, no one is ever really prepared for the hassle and stress that seems to come along with cooking thanksgiving turkey. In fact, there are women who have been in charge of cooking the thanksgiving turkey for 20 years and yet still, without fail, they get stressed and always seem to be running to the store for the last minute things they forget to buy.

You would think that after so many times, that most people would have it down pat but it may not be cause of a lack in cooking skills but rather something else. Most of the time the person who in charge of cooking thanksgiving turkey is more stressed about making everyone’s holiday picture perfect, than his or her abilities in the kitchen.

The best thing to do is to start preparing for this event a couple weeks in advance and go over your list of things to buy over and over again to make sure that there are not any last minutes items that are needed when all of the stores are closing down. Cooking thanksgiving turkey does not have to be stressful at all as long as you have everything that you need, you allow yourself plenty of time to prepare things, and you follow the directions completely. When all of that is done, cooking thanksgiving turkey will be a breeze.

How to Cook

For those who have been cooking thanksgiving turkey for many years, knowing how to cook it is not a problem they are going to have unless they are in search of a new recipe. But for those who have only been cooking thanksgiving turkey for a couple of years, or maybe this is even their first time, seeking advice early on is the best thing to do. There are many different techniques that are used when cooking thanksgiving turkey so you may want to turn to an elder in your family line to see how they used to prepare theirs.

But for those where that is simply not an option, doing a little bit of research on the Internet will open up an entire world of recipes for cooking thanksgiving turkey. Often times, these different recipes were tried by others just like you and then they come back on and rate the recipe or give ideas on what could be better. As long as you give yourself enough time to start searching for the best recipes on cooking thanksgiving turkey, you should not have any problem at all.

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