Thanksgiving Turkey 101

Thanksgiving is nearly here and that means cooks and chefs around the country, even the world will be whipping up their best to better last year's treats. Here are some tips and tricks to help you be organized and produce a wondrous feast come that special day.

The first step of any chef is to plan and organize. Messy kitchen produces messy results. You will most likely need at least one pound of turkey for each guest. Smaller turkeys are easier to cook and tend to dry out less as they cook, ideal for the first time host. If you have more than 14 people consider roasting two small turkeys instead of one huge turkey. Don't worry too much about the leftovers, everyone loves them! Make sure to buy it a couple of days in advance and allow plenty of time for the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator, on the bottom shelf for best results.

A trick for wonderful turkeys is brining. I love to brine my turkeys. Brining is to soak the turkey in sugar and salt in solution for a few hours. The meat bastes into the solution, it tends to cook faster and be more flavorful than regular roasting. Unfortunately you will need a fresh turkey for this. Frozen turkeys have already been treated in a salt solution and will not produce the same quality. If you choose this method make sure you talk to you grocer at least a week early, pick up the turkey the day before and store in the bottom shelf of your refrigerator.

Brining starts about 12 to 14 hours before Thanksgiving dinner; remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and rinse. Most people set these aside for gravy later on.A roasting pan with a V shaped rack works well if you intend to rotate your turkey during the baking; some like to start the turkey on the breast so the juices flow downward and it comes out less dry. Any pan will do if you use a meat roasting bag, it will keep your turkey moist and tends to give the best results.

Even though the turkeys come with temperature indicators it is still best to use a meat thermometer. You can use foil to keep the turkey from burning. Most importantly, let your turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving. This will let the juices cool down and the meat settle so your carver is less likely to burn themselves.