Purchasing

You can purchase a turkey already made, frozen, fresh, grilled, and roasted. You're also able to buy it in smaller sections like thigh, wing, or legs. There are also different types of turkeys you're able to buy. There's the Black Turkey, Bourbon Turkey, the Narragansett Turkey, White Turkey, Slain Turkey and the Royal Palm Turkey.

Storing

To keep the turkey in its package from the store, you need to freeze the uncooked turkey, thaw the turkey in the refrigerator or cold water when you're ready to use it. Keep the thawed turkey in the refrigerator and preserve pre-stuffed turkeys in the freezer.

Fabrication

To fabricate you place the breast upside down (skin side down) and cut along the breast bone through the bone and meat. This will split the breast into halves, then you'll cut along the edges of the wishbone and the keel bone. After that you're going to cut along the ribs on one side of the breast bone using short swiping cuts.

Dry Heat Cooking

Dry heat cooking is using hot air or fat to transfer the heat to cook the food. This would be when you are boiling, roasting, grilling, baking, sautéing, pan- frying, and deep fat- frying. Foods that are cooked by this method have a rich flavor due to the caramelization and the browning of the food.

Moist-Heat Cooking Method

When you use the moist-heat cooking method you're going to use water or steam. This includes poaching, boiling, steaming, and simmering. People use moist-heat cooking to emphasize the natural flavor in foods.

Combination Cooking

Combination cooking methods are using both dry heat and moist heat together. The two most important methods used are braising and stewing.

Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

+2 tablespoons dried parsley

+2 tablespoons ground dried rosemary

+2 tablespoons rubbed dried sage

+2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves

+1 tablespoon lemon pepper

+1 tablespoon salt

+1 (15 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

+2 stalks celery, chopped

1 orange, cut into wedges

+1 onion, chopped

+1 carrot, chopped

+1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

+1 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.

Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.

Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing

Roast Turkey Recipes

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

1 gallon heavily iced water

1 red apple, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

Canola oil

2-3 Days before begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Sources

Food Network

AllRecipes.com

The Culinary Cook