How to Cook Turkey
 Don’t be shy. Cooking and serving roast turkey is one of the most spectacular meals you’ll put on the table. It’s also one of the simplest and potentially creative. Read on for Today Turkey's; turkey preparation tips, turkey roasting tips, my favourite stuffing recipes and lots of other great advice.
Preparation
The key to roasting a fantastic turkey is all in the preparation!
* Never thaw your Turkey on the bench top or in the sink.
* Always thaw in the fridge and allow 18 hours per kg. Make sure you purchase well enough in advance, to allow sufficient thawing time.
* Place the Turkey in a large dish and ensure there is enough room in the bottom of your fridge for the turkey to thaw properly.
* Remove all moisture pads and wrapping before cooking the turkey.
* Do not stuff turkey then store in the refrigerator overnight. You can prepare your stuffing the day before minus the egg and any liquids. On the day of cooking your turkey add remaining ingredients to stuffing and stuff the turkey just prior to cooking.
* What Size Turkey do I need?
* How long do I need to cook my Turkey?
General Roasting Tips
* Stuffing does not have to be cooked inside the Turkey. It can be placed in the pan around the roast, or baked separately in foil or moulds. A shorter cooking time should be used for the stuffing.
* Remember, glazes which contain a sugar may burn easily. Brush on these glazes 20-30 minutes before the turkey is cooked.
* If you cook poultry to eat later, refrigerate while hot.
* Pop your Turkey in an Oven bag this will shorten cooking time.
* Do not cook the turkey too high up in the oven as this may cause your turkey to brown too quickly or burn. If you are short on space in your oven, cook the vegetables on a higher shelf.
French Flavoured Stuffing
Here is my favourite turkey stuffing recipe
Ingredients
40g butter
3 large French shallots, finely chopped
250g rindless bacon, roughly chopped
200g button mushrooms, sliced
5 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1/3 cup tarragon leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 eggs, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Melt butter in a large non stick frying pan over medium heat. Add shallots, bacon and mushrooms.
Cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Cool.
Combine shallot mixture, breadcrumbs, tarragon, walnuts, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Use as stuffing for turkey or bake separately in a loaf pan lined with baking paper at 175ºC (350ºF) for 35 minutes.
Note: This quantity of stuffing is enough to fill a Size 32 (3.2kg) turkey.
* How much Stuffing do I need?
* More Great Turkey Stuffing Recipes
More...
How to Cook a whole Turkey
How to Carve a Turkey
Frequently Asked Turkey Questions
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